Public Discussion – Analysing Polarization in Georgia and V4 States: Domestic and External Factors

📣 Registration is required to attend the event: register here. 

Georgian Institute of Politics, in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, is pleased to invite you to the Virtual  Public Discussion- “Analysing Polarization in Georgia and V4 States: Domestic and External Factors,“ which will take place on September 29, at 13:00 GMT+4 (Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani times) on Zoom Webinar Platform.

The media landscape is highly polarized in Georgia and V4 states. There is a lack of media agencies without political affiliations in these states. Media is responsible for polarizing societies since they do not allow the public to make an informed choice due to the one-sided broadcasting tradition that they follow. This has a negative impact on democracy and makes electoral decision-making difficult. Moreover, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the developments have dominated the media agenda, and the political situation has become more sensitive for society. If previously the polarization mainly related to domestic political developments, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, foreign policy also became a matter of polarization, especially in Georgia and in some of the V4 states.

The aim of the public discussion is to respond to the following questions:

What are the key domestic and external stimulators of media polarization in Georgia and V4 states?

How does media polarization in Georgia and V4 states influence the political processes?

What could be the role of media in reducing societal and political polarization based on best international practices?

The virtual discussion is held under the framework of the project “Supporting Decrease of Media Polarization in Georgia and V4 States.” The action aims to mitigate deepening media polarization in support of voters’ informed decision-making in Georgia and V4 states.

Working language: English

AGENDA

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. And also by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.