A new Russian-style manipulation. Several pro-Russian sources have recently shared a fake video clip in which the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Marta Kos, allegedly rebuked the government of the Republic of Moldova for defying European values. In reality, the official message was addressed to the Government of Georgia, and the key passage at the beginning of the address, which explained the context, was intentionally cut to create confusion. Political analyst Mihai Isac explains, in a new edition of the Fake News Alert show on TVR Moldova, how easily you can change the meaning of a news story, with minimal effort, if you are part of the guild of professionals in disinformation and propaganda.
“Shock and horror. At least that’s what pro-Russian sources in the region have been calling it. The Russian Federation’s propaganda pawns have shared a video in which the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Marta Kos, appears to be reprimanding the authorities in Chisinau. In the faked recording, Kos said: You are taking the country further away from the European Union. If you are serious about the European Union, you should listen to your citizens and stop imprisoning opposition leaders and journalists, people who think differently than you. “It sounds serious, right? You can almost imagine how the door was slammed in front of the Republic of Moldova in Brussels,” noted Mihai Isac.
In reality, the European Commissioner was not referring to the Republic of Moldova, but to the Government of Georgia.
“In the original statement, Marta Kos begins with the phrase: Dear Government of Georgia, you are not bringing your people closer to the European Union. “Surprise, this introductory phrase was cut with propaganda scissors, so as not to spoil the story,” the analyst explains.
The opening passage was intentionally removed to create the impression that Brussels was criticizing Chisinau.
“In other words, the propaganda took a rebuke addressed to Tbilisi and repackaged it as a bombshell about the Republic of Moldova. Textbook media magic,” Isac said.
The technique used is a classic one, of removing statements from context and re-editing video clips to change the meaning of the message. The result is a viral and spectacular news story.
“The goal is clear, to undermine citizens’ trust in the European path of the Republic of Moldova and to fuel the false idea that the European Union no longer wants us,” stressed Mihai Isac.
According to him, this is not the first time that media channels affiliated with Russian propaganda have fabricated non-existent scandals.
“When there is no real crisis, they invent one. We learn something very simple from this. Propaganda works great when we don’t check the context. One word cut, one sentence taken out of the recording and the meaning becomes completely opposite. Get information from verified sources, consult several publications and be skeptical when a headline seems too shocking to be true, because it usually isn’t. Propaganda never stops, but we can choose not to be its victims,” concluded Mihai Isac.