The Media Academy of the Communications Commission has successfully responded to the challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Media School launched its first exclusive project in the Georgian media space – the online masterclass that gives people a unique opportunity to learn about different aspects of professional journalism free of charge. “Learn from the Best” is a project that offers people studying journalism and all other interested individuals an online course that teaches how to create a high-quality media product.

Storytelling, recording an interview, asking questions, preparing a photo story, filming, and working in a studio – these are the main topics covered by the programme of 30 lectures. Journalist Eka Beridze, playwright Basa Janikashvili, journalist Tamta Sanikidze and photo reporter Davit Mdzinarashvili share their extensive experience with the audience, teaching the public how to create a high-quality media product, and how to  succeed as a professional journalist.  The online masterclasses allow viewers to take a look behind the scenes, discover aspects that are not aired, and learn from the successful presenters about everything that is necessary to create a quality media product. 

The first programme of online masterclasses consists of 30 video lectures, each of them 10-12 minutes long. The lectures can beaccessed free of charge on the Media Academy YouTube channel.

Interest towards the online masterclass is growing, with approximately 200,000 people viewing the lectures so far.

In parallel to the online masterclass, the Media School has been helping media representatives for more than a year to achieve professional development and enhance their qualifications. Considering that consumers are changing their habits as technology evolves, the relevance of multimedia products grows. It is important for media representatives to constantly enhance their knowledge in this field and keep up to date with the latest trends.

In 2020, before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Media School managed to organise several importantseminars. Around 40 media representatives received training from the Media School on the topics such as  “Storytelling Techniques in Social Media,” “Photo Journalism” and “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship.” The journalists learned about the storytelling methods in the digital age and the relationship between traditional storytelling and the new multimedia opportunities. Media representatives also received information about the current challenges and roles of media literacy and digital citizenship. Furthermore, they familiarised themselves with modern international practices in the fields of education, media and media literacy.