Election media monitoring 2020: Georgian media fall short on analysis in election coverage
Media coverage of the Georgian political landscape has expanded to cover a wider range of political parties and actors than in past elections, the report notes. Photo: Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
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Election coverage has become more diverse in recent years in the country, but analytical depth is lacking and some outlets resort to gender stereotypes, reads an interim election media monitoring report for 2020 released by the EU and UNDP.
The report covered 11 weeks of the election campaign period, from June 15 through August 31, examining election reporting by 43 Georgian media outlets, including 12 television stations, 10 radio stations, eight print newspapers and 13 online editions.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell posted on his official Twitter account that 'media's role is key to help citizens make informed decisions'.
First EU+@UNDPGeorgia election media monitoring results are in: good to see coverage of more political actors & less hate speech; but prevailing problems of one-sided, uncritical reporting.
— Carl Hartzell (@CarlHartzellEU) September 24, 2020
Media’s role is key to help citizens make informed decisions.
➡️https://t.co/UOVNIXIuzs pic.twitter.com/ibwehqFywI
Media coverage of the Georgian political landscape has expanded to cover a wider range of political parties and actors than in past elections, the report notes. However, media coverage is largely shaped by the political agendas of the contending forces, focusing on only a few issues and failing to provide in-depth information on topics of potential public interest.
The main findings are:
- Unverified information sources and discriminatory language remain an issue in print press, whereas abusive and discriminatory language is used rarely in online media
- Gender stereotypes are noted in all types of media, except for radio
- Online editions still fail to differentiate clearly between paid and editorial content and rarely offer their readers critical analysis of the electoral process
- TV stations lead in sharing their news through social networks, reaching much wider audiences than other sectors
- All TV stations are covering foreign actors in the context of Georgian elections, often providing controversial assessments of their influence
- Most of the air time is devoted to the Russian Federation and the United States
Election media monitoring will continue through the end of the current electoral cycle. Final reports will be available at year-end.
United States Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan said it is important to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia be held in a fair, transparent and free environment.
The Central Election Commission has set safety guidelines for the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 31 following consultations with political parties and monitoring organisations. Disinfectant barriers and hand sanitizers as well as information about preventive measures against the spread of the virus will be placed at the entrance of polling premises, the CEC said.
Germany will send 37 observers for Georgia’s October 31 parliamentary elections in the coming days, while the rest will visit the country by the end of September, German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on September 17.
Georgian citizens registered abroad will be able to cast ballot in 40 countries during Georgia’s parliamentary elections on October 31.Citizens will be able to register with their embassies abroad by October 11.
Media polarisation is growing in Georgia and reporting is becoming less balanced as voting day for the parliamentary elections approaches, says the second interim election media monitoring report of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Findings of the media monitoring research released by the European Union (EU) and UNDP earlier today show that ‘tensions between media camps have only increased’ between the parliamentary elections in 2020 and the local elections in 2021. Moreover, ‘deep partisan divisions’ have defined the electoral media environment in Georgia throughout all recent elections.