On September 13, 2021, the media published the information that the records of personal communications of clergymen, allegedly made secretly and illegally, are available on one of the open online resources. In some materials it is possible to identify specific clergymen.

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics considers it necessary to reiterate that invasion and identification of a person's private life is justified only if there is a proven high public interest in the information obtained.

The Charter believes that the media should be especially careful when covering this topic. When disclosing the personal data or the identities of specific clergymen, journalists shall be convinced that this information is indeed of public value and need and is not published only to satisfy public curiosity.

The Charter reminds, and calls on the media, to protect the right to privacy and not unnecessarily disclose records and the identities of those involved.

According to the spread information, on September 7, 2021, during the work process, the operator of the company "Pirveli TV " was hit in the leg by the car. The journalist was also in danger.

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics urges the government to protect the safety of journalists and to create appropriate working conditions for the media in the course of their professional activities, so that citizens have the opportunity to receive information about current processes. The Charter urges the Ministry of Internal Affairs to quickly and effectively investigate each case of attack on journalists.

The Charter believes that the recent increase in attacks on journalists is caused by the aggressive rhetoric of the government and the inappropriate response of law enforcement agencies.

This is not the first time journalists have been attacked. The Charter has repeatedly responded to attacks on media representatives.

On April 9, 2021, the employees of Formula TV were attacked and physically abused. As they said, one of them was physically assaulted, while the other’s car was smashed.

On February 25, 2021, the host of Formula TV - Vakho Sanaia and his family were attacked. According to the journalist, the motive for the attack was the result of the aggressive propaganda of the government towards the critical media.

On June 30, 2021, a journalist and cameraman of Pirveli TV were attacked and physically assaulted while shooting in the village of Tsintskaro, Tsalka Municipality, and the equipment was destroyed.

On February 16, 2021, in one of the villages of Chiatura Municipality, the shooting crew of Media Holding Kvira was attacked by people who were drunk and interfered with their journalistic activities.

Media representatives also became the object of targeted attacks on July 5-6, during which more than 50 journalists were injured in attacks by homophobic and violent groups.

Media Advocacy Coalition responds to Kakhi Kaladze’s Statement – a mayoral candidate, by which it became known that the Tbilisi mayoral candidate nominated by the ruling party intends to participate only in the TV debates planned by the Public Broadcaster, in addition, part of the regional TV stations have already been refused regarding the participation by the ruling party candidates in the political debate.

We would like to remind the politicians that the participation in debates is an integral element of democratic elections and an important tool for ensuring voter awareness. Refusal to use this tool is contrary to the general principles of democracy and hinders the right of the citizens to make the informed choices.

We urge the representatives of the ruling party to take part in the various formats proposed by the media, to respect the right of the voters, to get acquainted with the visions of the mayoral candidates and to give the media the opportunity to perform their professional duties.

In order to fulfill its multifaceted commitment to the right to vote, the Media Advocacy Coalition is proposing a memorandum to political parties and electoral entities running in the local self-government elections, signing of which includes the responsibility to conduct the election procedures in a peaceful, non-violent and non-discriminatory environment.

Text of the Memorandum

We, the undersigned,

Hereby respect the public's right to be informed about events and point of views.

We acknowledge and recognize the need for voter awareness and responsibility under these commitments, which implies the need to hold and participate in pre-election political debates.

We believe that the exercise of the electoral law depends on the correct and accurate, impartial and fair coverage of election-related issues.

We declare a boycott regime with the media unacceptable.

We acknowledge the special importance of the format of the pre-election political debate and agree to fulfill our commitment to participate in the political debate. We consider the participation and involvement of women in political processes, including the representation of women candidates in debates, to be important.

We condemn the verbal and physical attacks on media representatives.

We call on the representatives of political parties, electoral entities, political activists and supporters to respect the professional commitment of the media to receive and disseminate the information.

We agree that, as part of its multifaceted commitment to the electoral law, the parties will use an effective mechanism for self-regulation of broadcasters to ensure a standard of impartial and fair coverage and/or refer to the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics.

* Note: Complaints/statements on election issues will be considered in an accelerated manner - within 7 working days

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information - IDFI

Liberal Academy Tbilisi

Media Club

Media Development Foundation

Media rights

Alliance of Regional Broadcasters

TV network

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy - ISFED

Georgian Democratic Initiative - GDI

Georgian Regional Media Association - GRMA

Small and Medium Telecom Operators Association of Georgia

Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics

Rights Georgia

Open Society Foundation OSGF

Tbilisi 15 May, 2019. Improving young people’s knowledge and skills in media literacy will be the main focus of cooperation between UNICEF and the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics this year. A series of two-day workshops for young people will be held in Tbilisi and the regions.

Teaching will be conducted using a media literacy coursebook developed by UNICEF and the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics. The coursebook is an adapted version of the PONDER programme developed by the UNICEF Kosovo Office. A group of Georgian experts adapted the existing resource to make it relevant for a Georgian setting. The coursebook will help young people to critically analyze the information disseminated by the media. The exercises in the coursebook focus on developing skills of perception when reading printed, or viewing audio and video/photo material.

The two-day workshops for senior high school students will be held in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Marneuli and Tsnori. Up to 20 young people will participate in each workshop. Attendees will include students from media schools, as well as other young people who, as peer-educators, will share what they learn with other members of their community.

 

Tbilisi, 22 December 2016. Media reports on children have increased in comparison to the last year; in-depth reports on children constitute only one per cent of all the media