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Winning elections with voices of truth

As the elected president of Moldova – one of Europe’s poorest countries – Maia Sandu often uses part of her day to rebut online falsehoods about her or her government. No, she did not ban a popular berry-infused tea last year, as one video on social media claimed. Her latest swat at fake news was against a post alleging that farmers would be forced to sell their land if Moldova, a former Soviet state, joined the European Union.

“I saw a new scarecrow about our lands,” the Harvard-educated leader said this week. “I want to make quite clear: Moldova’s integration into EU poses no risk to our lands.”

But she then made a larger point that illustrates why her country, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, may be at the top of a massive disinformation campaign orchestrated by Russia:

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