November 9, 2021
Introduction
October 25, 2021
According to the most recent Slovak census from 2011, 450,122 people declared their affiliation to the Hungarian nationality, which represents more than 8% of Slovakia's population. This number also means that the group is the second largest Hungarian minority residing outside the borders of Hungary, and it is a strong and well-organized community.
The past two months we have partnered with the International Republican Institute’s Beacon Project to study the vaccine conversations on Facebook in Romania (RO) and Moldova in 2021, as well as to gain insights into Russian and Chinese narratives on this topic. In this final report we compare the data gathered to date and draw a set of conclusions and recommendations.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary resulted in an unprecedented amount of health-related disinformation with various narratives touching upon issues far beyond public health. As anti-vax sentiments gained ground, mainstream narratives were supplemented by that of not only “professional” anti-vaxxers but far right/pro-Kremlin fringe media, as well.
In this report concerning the COVID-19 vaccine conversation on social media (Facebook) in the Republic of Moldova (RM), we look at data gathered by the International Republican Institute’s Beacon Project, via the tool CrowdTangle, to try to understand the trends and narratives that define it. We inclined towards local sources, despite the commonality of the Romanian language between the Romanian and Moldovan Facebook cyberspaces.
Record breaking funding from the Hungarian government: the Association for Transylvanian Media Space received 20 million EUR over a few years. However their reports are vague when it comes to audiences and circulation, the budgets include six-figure items for “other services”, while the promised innovations have never materialized.
In this report concerning the COVID-19 vaccine conversation on social media (Facebook) in the Republic of Moldova (Moldova), 45north looks at data gathered by the International Republican Institute’s Beacon Project, via CrowdTangle, to try to understand the trends and narratives that define it. 45north inclined towards local sources, despite the commonality of the Romanian language between the Romanian and Moldovan Facebook cyberspaces.