The EU and UNDP media research analysed the media environment in Georgia following the 2021 local self-governance elections. The analysis includes 22 media outlets - six television stations, nine online and seven print media editions. The research was carried out from 24 January through 23 March 2022 in partnership with the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics and Internews Georgia.

Some of the key findings include:

• Political developments dominated the media agenda and the intensity of this coverage left little space for economic and social issues.
• Events surrounding the 2021 local self-governance elections and Georgia’s third President Saakashvili were at the centre of media attention from the beginning of the research period through 23 February 2022.
• After war broke out in Ukraine on 24 February, the focus shifted to wartime reporting. All media sectors were equally gripped by the unfolding humanitarian disaster, international support and Georgia’s political and public responses to the crisis.
• Although all media sectors were focused on developments in Ukraine, their coverage was influenced by deep political divisions in Georgia’s society. Events were portrayed and interpreted depending on the editorial preferences of individual media outlets.
• Most of the monitored television stations offered conflicting interpretations of political statements made by Georgian and international officials. Specific stations manipulated public opinion by demeaning political positions in Georgia that they did not favour.
• Editorial differences became apparent across digital media, which are generally perceived as independent and balanced. Some of the monitored outlets, influenced by Russian information sources, used misleading images, false narratives, and misrepresentation in their coverage.
• Wall-to-wall reporting of Georgia’s response to the war in Ukraine was notable across print media. Discriminatory language and homophobic statements remained unresolved issues for some of the monitored editions.