On December 16, 2021, at Radisson Blue Iveria Hotel, ISET Policy Institute, Internews Georgia, and the USAID Economic Governance Program held a hybrid event introducing MediaTOR, a platform for supporting fact-based economic journalism. The aim of the project is to increase the role and participatory power of media in the economic reform implementation process in Georgia.

The event was opened by Tamar Sulukhia, Director of ISET and ISET Policy Institute, and Peter A. Wiebler, Mission Director of USAID Georgia. MediaTOR platform, its objectives, and planned activities were presented by Giorgi Papava, Project Manager of MediaTOR and Lead Economist of ISET Policy Institute, and Tinatin Natchkebia, Manager of trainings of MediaTOR and Director of Projects of Internews Georgia.

The event featured two panel discussions. Distinguished panelists of the first discussion included Peter A. Wiebler, Mission Director of USAID/Georgia, Papuna Lezhava, Deputy Governor of National Bank of Georgia, George Welton, Executive Director of AmCham and Giorgi Isakadze, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Georgia and Managing Partner of BMG. The panel discussion underlined the role of media in the economic reform agenda and discussed the challenges Georgian media is facing today with regard to economic journalism. 

The second panel focused on data journalism perspectives in Georgia. The discussion featured trainers of MediaTOR project and prominent media representatives, Maka Antidze, Lecturer of GIPA, and Elene Kvanchilashvili, Executive Editor of Forbes Georgia.

See the MediaTOR platform.

To watch the event, please see this video.