To promote media literacy in Georgia, The European Council and the Georgian National Communications Commission organised a working meeting with representatives from state bodies, international organisations, NGOs and scientific circles. This is the first time that a meeting of such magnitude took place on the subject of media literacy in Georgia.

The European Council invited media literacy expert and national coordinator for Media Literacy Ireland Martina Chapman to attend the meeting. Ms Chapman acts as a consultant for influential organisations such as the European Audiovisual Observatory, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Ofcom and BBC. She also consulted the Georgian National Communications Commission on media literacy strategy and action plan.

During the working meeting, the parties discussed the current media literacy-related challenges in Georgia. As technology and digital media evolve on a daily basis, it becomes increasingly important to promote and develop media literacy – skills such as critical assessment and analysis of products. Enhancing these skills gives the public the opportunity to make informed choices. The meeting discussed the best international practices in this field. Participants also talked about the role of the state bodies, civil society, learning institutions and the media in the development of media literacy.

The Communications Commission presented several important initiatives to the stakeholders during the meeting. More specifically, the Commission proposed to hold broad working meetings on the subject of media literacy twice a year, create a common online communication space, and to establish a national online platform with information about all projects implemented by the stakeholders. Everything concerning media literacy will be accessible to users in a single space. Another key initiative proposed by the Commission is to conduct the first in-depth study on the subject of media literacy in Georgia. The research process will involve all stakeholders and reveal all the challenges facing the country with regards to media literacy.

The Communications Commission has been afforded the authorisation to develop media literacy in Georgia by the legislation. To achieve this goal, the Commission envisages actively working together will all stakeholders to overcome the existing challenges through joint efforts, along with implementing specific projects.

One of the most important tasks of the partnership between the Communications Commission and the European Council is precisely to establish a single network involving all stakeholders working in the field of media literacy.

Furthermore, the European Council is implementing the two-year project “Supporting Freedom of Media and Internet in Georgia,” with the aim to establish a professional, ethical, pluralistic and responsible media environment and to protect human rights online.

To have a free media and online space, it is vital to improve the media literacy level in Georgia. To this end, the European Council is working with the Communications Commission, the state sector, NGOs, academic circles and other relevant institutions to support the initiatives that are designed to improve media literacy. The recent working meeting took place as part of the “Supporting Freedom of Media and Internet in Georgia” project.