U.S. Embassy Bucharest PAS Grant: Countering Disinformation and Promoting Media Literacy in Romania

U.S. Embassy Bucharest, Public Affairs Section (PAS,) announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the design and implementation of a full-spectrum program on Countering Disinformation and Promoting Media Literacy; the program will be strictly conducted with the express intent of also strengthening the bilateral relationship between the United States and Romania.

PAS Bucharest hereby requests expert program proposals covering the two following areas:

–     Capacity building and skill acquisition amongst professional journalists, citizen journalists, journalism students and professors, media advisors, additional academics, and other interested parties all with a focus on increasing domestic resilience against disinformation and media distortion. Enthusing multiple generations of media professionals, citizens, and the next generation of media influencers/shapers with the message that they bear the obligation to promulgate the truth and protect their citizens and nation from those that would harm or manipulate it to ill-ends will provide the Romanian information environment with the cadres it needs to counter regional and further afield disinformation.

–     Promoting critical and objective analysis and honed media literacy in order to better help both media professionals and lay-media people to develop/refine their ability to distinguish between information and propaganda, analyze the spectrum of media for veracity, and interact with/foster social media responsibly. 

Areas of focus/engagement modalities will include sharing best practices through testcases and workshops, as well as simulations, digital practices, and intensive training programs. There will also be a tangible creation encompassing media analysis tools for ready sharing with the greater public. All training and engagement will be available in multilingual format as needed, and all will be focused on developing/improving critical analysis of information skills and developing/refining the ability to factcheck and source check.

All activities are to be conducted in-person to the extent that counter-COVID-19 measures allow. Should in-person training not be possible, virtual instruction and meetings will be permissible.