Financial Transparency of Media-2018

The Media Development Foundation (MDF) releases annual reports to explore the financial media environment  – sources of media financing, including the practice of allocating budgetary funds for advertising and dissemination of information in media outlets. 

The present report rests on the desk research, among them documents available in an electronic database of the State Procurement Agency and the National Communications Commission, also additional data requested from public agencies and information available in the public domain. Moreover, a qualitative analysis of media content was carried out by applying the principle of random sampling and based on the contracts between administrative bodies and media outlets. It aimed at clarifying what type of media content was financed from the budget. 

The introductory part of the report discusses key findings of the study and regulations; its first part reviews financial revenues of broadcasters, whom the law obliges to file relevant declarations; the second part reviews the practice of allocating public funds for advertising and dissemination of information in media outlets, including media outlets inciting hate speech, fanning anti-Western sentiments and promoting Russian propaganda platforms. The third part of the report depicts practice of formalizing the interference in editorial independence in budget contracts. 

Authors: 
     Mariam Pataridze
Editor: 
     Tamar Kintsurashvili
Design:
     Mariam Tsutskiridze

Link: Financial Transparency of Media-2018