Project "Citizens' Informed Choice: Media and Elections"

1. Research: Systemic Media Analysis (March – May 2007) 

The research had two main objectives:

1. Political analysis – identification of main tendencies about ongoing political processes end explanation of their pattern;

2. Media analysis – how different news programmes air the political processes, which facts that deserve their attention and which ones are not aired at all.

The information aired by the main news programmes of the TV channels Imedi, Rustavi 2 and Georgian Public Broadcasting, was sorted out in different categories (colours) – the green colour mentioned the topics aired by all three TV channels, yellow colour was for the topics aired by the two channels and red mentioned topic aired by one channel. Subsequently, assistant researcher was crating tables with indicators for topics marked with same colour. And experts were working separately with each table. Afterwards, they compared the work once per week, on the meeting.

Final version of research – brochure on Systemic Media Analysis was edited in December 2007. The research results were aired by the new programme Kronika (TV Imedi, December 14, 2007) and talk-show Dghis Komentari was dedicated to it in December 13, 2007. The research identified that in scope of news programmes TV channel Imedi was working on the most balanced and adequate manner. However, it was impossible to state the same about Rustave 2 and Georgian Public Broadcasting. The research was highly cited at the end of 2007, when Imedi was closed down, as the proof of the fact that Kronika was working satisfactorily. In addition, it should be also stated the representatives of Georgian Public Broadcasting were very critical toward this research. Anyway, except of supporting the work of regional journalists, the Systemic Media Analyses gave the good example of media monitoring, and provided the assessment of work of central TV channels.