The Media Development Foundation (MDF) implements a project Monitoring Hate Speech and Discrimination in Georgian Media within the framework of program, Advancing National Integration in Georgia, carried out by the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG) and the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project is aimed at encouraging professional coverage of minorities in Georgian media through public discussions of problems identified during the monitoring.
Before releasing the final report and recommendations envisaged by the project, the MDF will send out weekly electronic bulletins of monitoring results to media outlets, civil society and other interested parties.
The project involves the monitoring of six newspapers (Asaval-Dasavali, Rezonansi, 24 Saati, Chronika, Alia, Kviris Palitra), evening news programs and talk shows of three national TV channels (Georgian Public Broadcaster, or GPB, Imedi and Rustavi 2) and three local TV channels (Kavkasia, Maestro and Channel 9), as well as an evening talk show of Media Union Obiektivi.
The project also envisages monitoring of reaction of non-governmental organizations and other institutions to intolerance and hate speech in the public domain.
This bulletin reflects key findings of monitoring covering the time span from 15 to 22 April.
Monitoring Hate Speech and Discrimination in Georgian Media, Newsletter №1