Freedom of the Press
Media Environment 2024: The Fight for Trust and Freedom
To read the full study click on the link
"Media Voice", with the support of FNF South Caucasus presented its annual study, titled "Media Environment 2024: The Fight for Trust and Freedom," on March 26. The event brought together key representatives from the media, non-governmental organizations, the diplomatic corps, and academia. The presentation was officially opened by Ernst-Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia.
The study highlights how the challenges of the “super-election year” affected the media credibility and reliability, journalistic activity and product quality.
It analyses the impact of the Agents/Russian Law and pre-election and post-election protests on the information ecosystem. In doing so, it assesses the obstacles and support mechanisms in the media on the part of various actors; what and how trust in the media and other actors is affected and what mechanisms can be used to increase this trust; The study highlights how the media operates under kleptocratic rule, how it copes with Russian influences, as well as the challenges posed by disinformation and potent propaganda in the context of technological challenges. A significant facet of the study involves an examination of the evolving role of the media environment in the context of Georgia’s European integration process
In addition, for the first time, this year’s study highlights the role of citizen journalism in crisis situations, as well as new tools and examples of transformative experiences in the fight for media survival. The role of targeted sanctions and international courts necessary to prevent impunity for crimes committed against journalists is highlighted.
The media environment was examined, based on the evaluations of 23 respondents from 20 media outlets, their perceptions of reality and further comparative analysis. Based on the research, recommendations have been developed to strengthen journalists' safety, build trust in the media, enhance solidarity, halt the instrumentalisation of laws against the media, and more.
Authors of the study are: Mariam Gersamia, Professor, Tbilisi State University, Founder of “media Voice”, Ekaterine Gigauri, Senior Fellow at “Media Voice”; Gvantsa Gurgenidze, Fellow at “Media Voice”.
The study was conducted with the support of the FNF South Caucasus and the German Federal Foreign Office.