On July 29, Ziarul de Gardă turned 19 years old. It is the age when young people take their first independent steps in life, but often, this fact requires courage. The ZdG team shared their thoughts on the lesson of courage learned at Ziarul de Gardă, whether it is a lesson learned from colleagues or from the heroes of our reports, but also regarding the role this lesson had or still has in their professional training.

Alina Radu, director, and co-founder of ZdG

In the first years of ZdG, we had many difficult moments: threats, court cases, risks, and dangers that we learned nothing about in school or college. What do you do when you receive threats on your landline and you can’t find out who is threatening you? What do you do when envelopes arrive with files asking you for hundreds of thousands of lei? What do you do when you are going to publish something about a big corruption case, which has not been written about yet, but you receive threats before publication? I experienced many stresses, but I never gave up. And every published investigation, every day we didn’t fall, gave us even more courage to continue. Now we know: courage is contagious, it inspires us to overcome obstacles. Courage is the fuel of an anti-corruption newsroom.

Aneta Grosu, readers’ ombudsman, co-founder of ZdG

During the 19 years of ZdG, meetings and discussions with people were the most important for me. From some, I learned that without devotion life has no meaning, from others I learned how words can cure. There were people from whom I learned how to endure difficult situations. Many of my interlocutors are brave people, and for that I thank them. In these 19 years, I discovered the courage of Lilia Neagu and Asa Andruh-Scorpan, to tell the truth even under the magnifying glass of the KGB, they were condemned by the Soviets, but are admired even today; the courage of teacher Valentin Gologan from Rădoaia, Sângerei to recite “Ce-ți doresc eu ție, dulce Românie”, becoming the first of those arrested in 1988; the courage of the priest Vasile Pistrui, who in 1992, being the parish priest of the “Saint Hierarch Nicolae” Church in Holercani, housed, under gunfire, refugees from the left side of the Dniester and wounded from the Cocieri plateau; the courage of Radu Hossu, a civic activist from Romania, who initiated a vast humanitarian campaign in support of those fighting in the war started by Russia in Ukraine; the courage of young Andrei Zorin, who from his wheelchair fights for access to justice for immobilized people. At 19 years of ZdG, I am sure that life can be changed only by the brave.

Petru Grozavu, columnist

I have been with Ziarul de Gardă from its first issue. ZdG is not and was not a made-up newspaper. It is a newspaper born from a courageous start and a great journalistic inspiration of the two founders, who set their ambition to bring a different kind of press to the media market, a combative one, which does not bother to tell the truth. The slogan “Tell the truth” became a test of courage for the team and the newspaper. Personally, I don’t think courage is taught. Courage, rather, is a given, which needs the front for affirmation, which is what Ziarul de Gardă is – the soldier who goes “to the front” every day.

Victor Moșneag, editor-in-chief

ZdG gave me the courage to write and investigate anyone, from a simple policeman, prosecutor, or judge, to a minister, country president, or prime minister. If until I arrived at ZdG I thought there were “untouchable” people, being here I overcame this fear and got to talk to them as equals, I got to ask them uncomfortable questions and even put them in uneasy situations. At ZdG I learned to keep moving, in spite of everything, to finish an article even if there were threats or various requests. ZdG gave me the courage to stay in Moldova, always with the hope that I can somehow contribute to changing things, even in those periods when everything was gloomy and when many of my friends chose to leave for a better life for their families.

Olga Bulat, deputy editor-in-chief

There are a lot more brave people than we think. We just don’t notice them.

Shortly after I came to ZdG, on a Wednesday evening, someone called the editorial office with threats, demanding that the publication of that edition be stopped. Obviously, the newspaper saw the light of day, just like every Thursday. It was the first lesson of courage I learned at ZdG. Many others followed, including situations where you continue to write, meanwhile receiving messages in which you are threatened, sometimes with death, but you pass them with a raised eyebrow.

You also learn courage from the heroes you interview: people with mobility or intellectual impairments, deprived of their rights, who, for years, fight to restore them. Or people subject to physical and/or sexual violence who go to law enforcement agencies, only to sometimes be confronted again with verbal aggression in court, but they continue to fight, this time, with the system. These people are not supernatural beings, they are here with us, near us. You just have to open your eyes to see them.

What about those who defend their country from aggressors, risking their lives daily, aren’t they brave? And the women or children who remained, despite the danger, alongside their husbands and fathers, to support them… Isn’t that also an act of courage? These people are not made up. They are there, near our border. You just have to open your heart and mind to see them.

Aliona Cenușa, Finance manager

When I came to ZdG, Courage was not a skill or strength that you could find in my CV… I didn’t even understand then that it was necessary for the position of accountant. Over time, however, everyday situations determined me to learn lessons of courage… especially being a member of the largest and most active journalistic investigative group in Moldova. My courage is not about directly confronting the threats, intimidation, and pressure that my colleagues may be exposed to during investigations. My courage is about efficient and transparent management of financial resources, about making responsible and ethical decisions, about how to resist, together with the team, in situations of financial crisis, about being innovative and testing various methods and ways of ensuring the continuous funding of journalistic projects, about taking risks, about what it’s like to remain devoted to the ZdG in conditions of austerity. We learned courage over time, alongside and together with the management of the institution and the ZdG team, who instill inspiration and motivation in us, so that we do not give up, not now when the public needs the press and journalism done with love and professionalism the most. Courage is ZdG!

Victoria Borodin, reporter, Investigations Department

Being brave in journalism means, I think, knowing the risks and taking them. And that is exactly what I learned at ZdG.

I have known hundreds of people and histories, most of them linked to corruption or injustice, and here I was not afraid to document and publish investigations and reports on taboo topics for some. You are either brave or you are not. And at ZdG, every day continues to be a new lesson in courage, as courage has no limits.

Natalia Zaharescu, reporter, Investigations Department

At ZdG I learned to have the courage to ask uncomfortable questions to those who run away from the microphone, but also to those who talk a lot but say nothing. I learned to have the courage to “get into the soul” of former dignitaries tried for the theft of the billion, to find undeclared assets and fraudulent public purchases. I learned the courage to speak in front of the camera, but also behind it, investigating undercover how people are paid to participate in the protests of a political party.

I learned to look at things more critically, to find a good topic, to approach sources more convincingly, to read between the lines of populist statements, and decipher a court ruling.

Because the ZdG team is dynamic and full of ideas, it’s the environment where you can’t sit still, where you grow professionally every day, and which pushes you back when you no longer have the strength to move forward. We learned to make jokes together and at the same time do our work honestly and with dedication.

Măriuța Nistor, reporter, Investigations Department

– What do the brave do?

– They go to extremes.

Some try to reach the top of Everest without oxygen…and die.

Others try to see the wreck of the Titanic…and die.

I, after finishing the second year of college, tried to come to Ziarul de Gardă (a peak too)… and here I am living every text I write.

Marina Gorbatovschi, reporter, Narrative Department

Courage is a conscious choice to do the right thing despite fear and impediments. On a daily basis, I take lessons in courage from my colleagues, although I do necessarily show it. Courage means making an investigation about wood thieves, while one of them threatens you: “What are you filming? Do you want someone to punch you in the head?” It’s about the courage to go after a corrupt official and write about his fortunes, knowing that he’s hired IT specialists to hack your e-mail in an attempt to discover who is exposing his wrongdoings. It’s about the courage to go to Kyiv, often attacked by drones in the last year, and when you hear the anti-aircraft alert, instead of running for cover, take out your video camera to record the sharp sound and the collective fear. It’s about courage and insistence to give up-to-the-minute news with “first details”, “first reaction”, “it’s official”, news that can no longer be found in other information sources. And the list can go on. It is an act of great courage, in the feminine plural (because two women put the foundation), in 2004, when the entire country was subordinated to the communist regime, to give birth to an investigative newspaper that continues to bear fruit already 19 years.

Vasile Ursachi, reporter, Narrative Department

To do quality journalism, takes a lot of work and courage, especially at Ziarul de Gardă, where the attention of the public is increased. During a year at ZdG, I learned many things, but the most important lesson was the creation, together with my colleagues, of the material “Protesters to rent”, where we infiltrated undercover among Shor’s protesters, to prove that they are paid. Then it took courage to make good material, especially for me, a novice journalist, who worked in the field not so often. I felt some pressure on me and before leaving for Orhei, I imagined several scenarios about what could happen. It was a challenge for me to be both a protester and a journalist trying to document how the protest went and how I got the money. A few times my heart sank when I was very close to being uncovered, but in the end, it all went well. Such materials make you a better journalist and more self-confident.

Irina Ursu, reporter, Narrative Department

Rescuers, people who have made a career out of acts of courage, tell us that for them “courage means exploration: you assess the risk, prepare as best you can, and intervene in dangerous places”.

Among the lines of ZdG articles, we can see that the term “courage” is about a proactive way of life, it is about the way people are, think, speak, and act. For many people, in various professions, courage is an innate predisposition and it is about professionalism, a proactive attitude, and dedication with which you do your job, but also about the conscious assumption of the consequences of your actions and behaviors. ZdG has brave readers who, beyond their own interests, get involved and have strong attitudes with reference to the important things for society. Moldova has courage, Moldova has more and more brave people.

Milena ONISIM, reporter, News Department

For some time I have come to believe that children are much braver than adults. The fact that they can defend their opinions and toys so passionately, but also the fact that they are sometimes far too honest, seems like a real act of courage to me. However, in the almost three years since I have been at Ziarul de Gardă, I can say that I have also met or talked to many brave adults. An example that comes to mind at this moment is a pediatrician from Moldova, who, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, went directly to the battlefield, taking care of those wounded in the war. Last March I spoke with him on the phone and I understood that the world needs people like him… I understood that sometimes I need more courage too. If you are curious, you can find on our website an article with the testimonies of Doctor Andrei Varzari.

Oxana Roșca, reporter, News Department

“I don’t know, I don’t understand, I’m wrong, and I need help.” These are the lessons of courage for myself, taken from my colleagues and readers, lessons I continue to learn at ZdG. I think it’s extremely difficult to admit when you don’t know everything you want or should know, when you can’t understand something and you have to ask for more explanations, when you’ve already made a mistake and you have to face the consequences,  and when you can’t do it all by yourself.

I’m learning to get over the fear of seeming ridiculous or too pushy/annoying when I’m looking for answers and information. It is not about the courage to face dangers. It’s courage on a smaller scale, but I’m sure it’s fundamental to getting things right.

Luminița Cauliuc, reporter, News Department

Knowing that Ziarul de Gardă is an institution that has built and strengthened a good reputation over the years, I understood that my work here would mean that I had to step out of my comfort zone. I knew that it was a responsibility, that I had to work hard. Precisely for this reason, I can consider my coming to ZdG an act of courage. Being still a student, and not having much experience, I dared and tried. However, my lessons in courage do not end there. At the newsroom I met new people who daily give me an example of what it’s like to be fearless, to call things out, to look for the truth and, once you’ve discovered it, to make it public.

Andrei Muntean, video editor, Video/Editing Department

At Ziarul de Gardă you can learn a lesson of courage every day. Every time my colleagues go into the field and honestly and boldly investigate the corrupt acts of dignitaries, I take great pleasure in editing these video frames and seeing the final result. An example of courage, in my opinion, is especially the situations when my colleagues infiltrated among the corrupt, to find out the truth and make it known to the people. In the fall of 2022, four colleagues from ZdG went to Orhei with a well-defined goal – to demonstrate how the people who went to the protests organized by Shor in Chișinău are paid. And there have been many such examples in the six years since I have been at ZdG. 

Igor Ionescu, cameraman, Video/Editing Department

I don’t know if I can define what courage means. At ZdG, however, my colleagues and I have daily situations in which we must show, if not courage, at least a strong character. It happens when you are surrounded by sheepdogs who are ready to tear you to pieces, but you have to move on because the goal is to demonstrate the lack of transparency of the owners of these dogs, who raised them to be aggressive. Whether you are verbally threatened or not – every time you have a certain drive inside that makes you not stop.

Doina Guțu, public relations

Courage doesn’t just mean big things that the whole world knows about. It is also about small things for some of us, but of great importance to us. Courage, I believe, comes from the heart. What if we always act only by reason, without involving the heart?

For me, coming to ZdG itself is about courage, it’s about getting out of my comfort zone and stepping into a new stage, unknown to me. It’s about the courage to leave behind what you thought you would do for a lifetime… It’s about the desire to try writing – a passion forgotten on the high school benches… Courage means changing something in your life, even if, at the same time, this also means fear and insecurity…

Rodica Corețchi-Mocanu, proofreader

I came to ZdG half a year ago. From issue to issue, I am impressed by the courage of my colleagues, especially those who do investigations, including undercover, to demonstrate illegalities. And, in general, the courage of the editors to make a printed newspaper in the situation where the information is a click away online. I also learn lessons of courage from the protagonists of the ZdG reports. How brave do you have to be to rebuild the parental home that was taken from you by the Soviets when they deported you to Siberia and maintain this museum at the age of 82, as Tatiana Popa from Palanca does? Or to refuse the evacuation and host the refugees and the wounded, as the priest Vasile Pistrui did in Holercani during the war on the Dniester?

Otilia Meica, Social Media reporter

In general, brave people, in the classical sense, are spoken of in the past tense, since, in most cases, they failed to overcome the dangers they wanted to face. But this does not apply to the people from ZdG, who demonstrate their courage every day, in various circumstances: in the field, in the discussion with the sources, in the choice of the subject, etc.
Through acts of daily daring, coming from as many people as possible, important things can be accomplished that would improve the standard of living of citizens, dismiss incompetent heads from various state institutions, and bring criminals to justice. At ZdG I learned an extremely important lesson, which involves not only courage, but also resilience – when someone says “no”, the refusal should not stop you, but motivate you to continue.

Simona Tabuncic, Social Media specialist

When I was little, I learned about courage from superhero stories, and now I also learn from the people I interact with. At ZdG I learned about the courage to fight for a free and independent press, to work every day for the values that represent us, to choose to do things honestly, with dedication, with passion, and with the firm conviction that we have the power to do everything. I wish that one day we as a whole will unite our courage and show more dignity and respect to each other. At ZdG, we learn about courage, dignity, and respect every day. I am sure that through a continuous and common effort we can change things at the societal level as well.

ZdG editorial office