This Giving Tuesday, Stand With Moldova’s Independent Journalists
Announcing a Moldova Resilience Fund Campaign
Independent media in Moldova has been under its greatest pressure in years. Two small outlets - Cu Sens and Zona de Securitate - have carried a disproportionate share of the investigative work that kept the public informed. This Giving Tuesday1, through the end of the year, the Moldova Resilience Fund is raising funds specifically to support them.
The MRF Campaign
Starting today, the Moldova Resilience Fund will be conducting a fundraising campaign in support of independent media outlets Cu Sens and Zona de Securitate. From now until January 1st, 95%2 of the funds donated will be split between these media outlets and distributed to them in the form of flexible grants.
These flexible grants can support whatever these newsrooms need most, such as salaries, reporting trips, equipment, or legal and accounting costs.
For this campaign MRF selected 2 media outlets with a track record of delivering outstanding reporting and diving into topics that few others have. In spite of having small teams they have had an outsized impact on the public discourse.
Already sold? click here to support MRF’s campaign today. Every donation up to $1,500 will be doubled thanks to two generous donors excited about the mission. Together, we can boost the impact of independent journalists!
Founded in 2019, Cu Sens is an independent non-profit media organization. Their name translates loosely as “Making Sense,” and the mission is to:
“Strengthen democratic processes and civic engagement in Moldova through fact-based, engaging, and accessible investigative journalism that informs, educates, and empowers citizens.”
In the last year, Cu Sens made a huge impact, far out of proportion with the size of their newsroom, through their investigations into attempts to manipulate Moldova’s elections. In the last 2 years they:
Tracked Ilan Shor’s influence and money flows from Russian banks into a large-scale vote-buying operation.
Worked with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network to trace Moldovans trained in Republika Srpska and Russia for election-related destabilization.
Investigated the fake donors behind Evghenia Gutsul’s campaign, a case that led to her detention and the ongoing criminal case.
Was the first outlet to publish footage of Vladimir Plahotniuc’s arrest in Greece.
Produced in-depth profiles of the top three candidates of every party, offering equal treatment and clear, fact-based background on their wealth and past activities.
Cu Sens are members of the Global Investigative Journalism Network and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. They have a team of 11, including administration and accounting.
Translated literally as “The Security Zone,” this is the only media outlet in Moldova focused exclusively on the situation in Transnistria and the security zone between the region and constitutionally controlled Moldova.
Their website has a helpful interactive map of the Security Zone as well as the deployments of “Peacekeepers” and regular Russian troops in the region.
Their mission is to document human rights issues and ensure access to reliable information for the 350,000 Moldovan citizens living in and around the Transnistrian region.
Founder Irina Tabaranu and her small team are the only media outlet fully focused on advocating for those that live in the 11% of Moldovan territory currently outside of constitutional control. Officially, Zona de Securitate lists 4 journalists on their team, including Irina, but they also note the following:
“Several people are active within the Security Zone platform, including those from the left bank of the Nistru River [Transnistria], whose identities we want to protect for security reasons.”
Their reporting is often the only independent source available about a region where journalism is illegal and residents face constant pressure from security services.
How You Can Help
Small, dedicated media outlets like Cu Sens and Zona de Securitate matter more today than ever before. At the same time, the loss of USAID and continuing fallout has put more pressure on Moldovan outlets than ever before.
These outlets have carried more than their share of Moldova’s democratic resilience. If you value their work, now is the moment to support it. Make a donation to the Moldova Resilience Fund today and please share this campaign with others who care about Moldova’s democratic future.
Every donation up to $1,500 will be doubled thanks to two generous donors excited about the mission. Together, we can boost the impact of independent journalists!
Not in a position to donate but still interested in supporting the cause? Sign up for MRF’s mailing list to keep up with our activity and future ways to get involved!
Share this post with friends to help this campaign reach its goal!
Disclaimer: I am a board member and co-founder of the Moldova Resilience Fund (MRF). Moldova Matters and MRF are entirely separate entities. MRF does not provide financial support, paid advertising, or material benefits to Moldova Matters. I occasionally share MRF updates because the issues overlap with the topics covered in Moldova Matters, but these are informational updates only and do not imply that Moldova Matters is a program or fundraising vehicle of MRF.
Giving Tuesday is a global charitable giving day that began in the U.S. in 2012 as the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It has since spread to more than 90 countries and is now one of the biggest fundraising moments of the year.
The remaining 5% paying for card fees, bank fees and wire fees