What is a political system and how is it constructed, who are political actors and what are the relations between them, both seen and unseen? How should the media behave during an election campaign and how can reporters be manipulated by politicians? These are some of the questions that SAJ students sought answers to during the second specialized course – Political Journalism. Students worked alongside trainers Anatol Golea, political analyst and director of the “INFOTAG” news agency; Alina Turcanu, editor at Radio Free Europe; and Sorina Stefarta, director of the SAJ.

To help students better understand how to identify and cover stories on political topics, the course was divided into three modules. The first one, “Introduction to Political Journalism,” was held by Anatol Golea. He spoke about the internal political system, political parties, election systems, political actors and relations between them. The students also discussed issues of journalist ethics and the way certain political topics should be treated.

The second module was dedicated to the issues of political life in Moldova. From Alina Turcanu students learned about the rights and obligations of the media in the election process, about relations with sources, and about the characteristics of a successful political report. Future journalists learned how to behave during election campaigns and how to avoid the risk of being manipulated by politicians.

The topics of the third module, “European and International Journalism", dealt with European integration, the role and functions of European institutions, the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Area with the EU, and, accordingly, the role of the media in their coverage. Students also talked about the relations between Moldova and the European Union with the guest of the SAJ Discussion Club Dionis Cenusa, political analyst and associate expert of the “Expert-Group” center.

The students noted that this course helped them understand much deeper how the “games" are arranged on the internal and external political arena, and, most importantly, how to resist manipulation. “A journalist must be very careful and always distinguish between promises and facts,” said student Cristina Cornescu.

Tomorrow, the School of Advanced Journalism starts one of the most interesting and captivating courses – Investigative Journalism.