Causes and Implications of Media Polarization in Georgia and V4 states 

On April 15, 2024, our team Strategic Analysis Think Tank was part of the public discussion under the project “Supporting Decrease of Media Polarization in Georgia and V4 States.” At the concluding discussion researchers from Georgia, Slovakia, Poland, Czechia, and Hungary presented the findings of the joint report about media polarization in Georgia and V4 states.

The emerging polarization has changed the media landscape and the political power relationships in Georgia and Visegrad countries like Czechia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. Nowadays, not only domestic but also foreign political issues appear as polarizing factors, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In such a polarized environment, it became particularly challenging for the voters to make an informed decision at the elections. Therefore, is important to build public discussion around the following questions:

– To what extent do the domestic and external factors increase the polarization level according to the perceptions of the media experts and journalists from Georgia and V4 states?
– What is the interrelation between political and media polarization in Georgia and V4 states?
– What are the effective instruments for mitigating media polarization?
– How can media play a positive role in voters’s informed decision-making?

The speakers of the discussion: