Young Journalists Launch Youth Newspaper Investigating Corruption

 By Roxana Teodorcic

After four months of training, 15 young Moldovan journalists launched the newspaper Scurt Circuit (Short Circuit), which reports on corruption and its effects on youth. As part of their training, the journalists investigated corruption and how it affects their daily lives at school, in their community, and at their university. With the help of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova Program (SCSMCM), the young journalists learned basic concepts of investigative reporting, starting with the definitions of this media genre, working with sources, interview techniques, professional ethics, and editing of investigative reporting.

“The course helped the young journalists to see that the term ‘investigative journalism’ does not connote anything scary and that the investigation is easy to conduct if you know how to work. The participants found out their role in fighting corruption and how their activity could diminish the impact of this phenomenon”, said Vitalie Dogaru, one of the trainers. He predicted that some of the student journalists will make “investigations a regular activity to help their peers understand the world better."

The course mixed theory and practical exercises—simulating real reporting situations, teamwork, field work, and role playing games. The presentations, exercises, and discussions during the four months helped participants learn, interpret, and implement their newly acquired knowledge.

“Now I understand that professional journalism means investigative journalism. For me it wasn’t difficult to write my investigative story, I guess because of my enthusiasm. At the beginning the trainers helped me to identify the problem, and after that things moved on,” said Eugen Frunza.

The first edition of the newspaper was released nationwide June 27. The eight-page Scurt Circuit publication is being distributed to youth resource centers across the country.

Three of the journalists won awards for the best articles published in Scurt Circuit. Olga Ceaglei wrote about bribes given by Moldovan students who are currently working abroad to professors in higher education institutions in Moldova to pass their exams; Eugen Frunză investigated the phenomena of students paying other students, or even teachers, to prepare their annual research papers and final theses, sometimes involving plagiarism; and Anastasia Rotaru looked at how students are able to obtain placement in student dorms by paying bribes.

The intensive course was organized by Young Journalist Centre, with the support of IREX, in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development, which is implementing the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova Program. The program is funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation of the United States Government, and managed by USAID within the framework of the Threshold Country Program (TCP) for the Republic of Moldova.