Media expert Nino Danelia conducted monitoring within the frames the project of Media Development Foundation , MDF - "Media Monitoring - for Accountable and Professional Media” (funded by Open Society Georgia Foundation) of coverage of children’s issues by Georgian media from the point of children’s rights protection. According to the monitoring results:

During the monitoring period the standards of covering children’s issues have been violated in a significant part of the studied TV stories: 50% of news of Public Broadcasting Television, 60% of Imedi TV, informational program Kurieri of TV company Rustavi 2 violated the mentioned standard only once by representing only one side of the conflict happened in school, the accusations of police and director were heard but the other side was not given an opportunity to express his/her opinion to defend. TV company Maestro creates additional stress for the child by using kid as the source. As for the TV company Kavkasia it doesn’t violates the standards of covering children’s issues, but the TV stories themselves are covered partially.

The standards of covering children’s issues are mostly violated while covering concrete problem cases of underage. The violation is caused mostly by mixing fact and comment in a TV story, the identification of underage and deprivation of their private life without any need and public interest. At the same time family members, health workers, school teachers and directors, and a child’s neighbors and relatives, who also frequently violate their rights while giving interviews and have given little thought to the potential damage caused to children.

Despite the fact that the themes of children’s health and education related topics were the most of the placed TV news the issue is lack of the depth and relates only special presentations, scandalous and criminal cases.

Detailed results of the monitoring can be viewed in the full version of the monitoring results - the attached file below

Coverage of children's issues by TV media (Available in Georgian)