Tbilisi. 3 May 2018. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics and UNICEF are entering into a new stage of cooperation. New media literacy guidelines will be developed based on the PONDER programme implemented by UNICEF Kosovo. A group of local experts will adapt the existing program and create exercises to help young people develop critical thinking skills they can use to analyze information provided by the media. These exercises will help develop the skills required to understand textual as well as audio and video/photo material.

To ensure the practical application of the guidelines, at the end of the year a two-day workshop will be organized where all interested young people, selected through a contest, will be able to participate.

In today’s world, where the flow of information is constantly growing, society should be cautious about the reliability of information. To overcome this new challenge, citizens need to evaluate and think critically about the information they encounter. The issue of developing media literacy has taken on greater significance in Georgia since only a media literate society, which is able to think critically can defend itself from misinformation. This is the reason why UNICEF is focusing on the creation of media literacy guidelines and improving critical thinking skills among young people.

This project also encompasses a research component. Since 2013, the Charter and UNICEF have carried out regular monitoring of child-related issues in the media. The progress achieved during these years is evident with the number of severe ethical violations considerably decreasing. Therefore, in 2018 the research methodology has been changed to focus on the nature of information discourse, looking at what the basic topics involving children and the key messages disseminated through media in respect to these issues are. Textual as well as visual material prepared by the media on children will be analyzed using a discursive methodology.

At the end of 2018, the Charter will award a prize for in-depth coverage of child-related issues in the media. The contest will be open to all those wishing to participate.