The Georgian Political Institute has published a report on how media in Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia inform residents about the European Union. The study, which was reviewed by RT, said that the media experience in European countries may be useful for Tbilisi. According to the authors of the report, the country is set for rapprochement with the EU, but at the same time it is allegedly subjected to "Russian anti-Western propaganda."

"The activities of the media in the EU countries could serve as a good example for the Georgian media, especially now that it is slowly approaching the European Union and has faced many internal problems, in particular, the growth of the right-wing moods fueled by Russian propaganda," they said in Georgian political institute.

It is worth noting that the study was funded by the governments of the countries of the “Visegrad group” - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Among the sponsors of the Georgian Institute itself are the American National Endowment for Democracy, NATO and the US Embassy.

Georgia’s European integration path has served as a powerful incentive for positive internal changes, the document says. However, as analysts emphasize, Russian-language media are trying to “prevent” this process.

“Taking into account the prevailing share of Russian-language media in the regions of Georgia, the local population is increasingly becoming the target of Kremlin propaganda, the purpose of which is to upset European integration processes, as well as interfere with the implementation of related reforms in public administration and strengthening democracy,” in the report.

After recent protests in Georgia, it became necessary to “reinforce” the population’s negative attitude towards Russia, said political analyst Alexander Asafov. According to him, in order to form public opinion, similar “scientific studies” are published, which local media can then refer to.

Recall that on June 20 a mass protest rally took place in Tbilisi, the reason for which was the speech of Russian deputy Sergei Gavrilov at a meeting of the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. The protesters demanded the resignation of some politicians, and also sought that the Russian delegation leave the country.

  • Protests in Tbilisi June 20, 2019
  • Reuters
  • © Irakli Gedenidze

“For some, street protests are enough, while others need more serious reasons. Dozens of pseudo-research materials are published for them with absurd theses about the monstrous influence of Russian propaganda. An ordinary tactic for building a negative image, ”Asafov explained in an interview with RT.

According to the expert, the study is intended to show that statements by Georgian politicians about “Russian influence” allegedly have reason.

As previously stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Moscow has never sought to worsen relations with Tbilisi, while Western countries led by the United States are attempting to “tear” Georgia away from Russia.

“I repeat once again: this is all due to the fact that our Western colleagues, especially the United States, are trying in every possible way to tear our neighbors from the Russian Federation,” he said.

  • Sergey Lavrov
  • RIA News
  • © Alexander Shcherbak

The experience of European partners

During the preparation of the report, researchers conducted a survey of media representatives in Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In particular, journalists were asked if they use RT and Sputnik as sources of information when covering the activities of the European Union.

As it turned out, their work is hindered by misinformation, "distributed mainly by Russian organizations."

“The spread of propaganda and misinformation is a serious concern, and, according to media representatives from all four countries, complicates their work. Almost all of them note that they often discuss with their colleagues the possible spread of misinformation, mainly by Russian propaganda agencies, ”the authors indicate.

Interviewed reporters also described how they cope with the Russian “anti-Western agenda." Thus, the Georgian media said that they are daily following similar reports from Russia. Some media even developed their own strategy of delivering news to the audience - they do not directly debunk “misinformation”, but prepare stories that refute myths about the EU and cast doubt on “false beliefs”.

Polish journalists noted that they are discussing Russia's “propaganda” efforts in the newsrooms. According to the report, in most news publications this happens at least once a week.

According to respondents from Poland, the media should inform residents that they are being propagandized. Journalists also advised against copying content from other sources and mentioned existing methods of fighting disinformation, including fact-checking based on the examples of the American media and the French newspaper Le Monde, the Ukrainian initiative StopFake.org and the Czech project Kremlin Watch, as well as the Czech government Center for Combating Terrorism and Hybrid Threats.

Czech colleagues, in turn, considered it important to work only with reputable foreign-language media. At the same time, journalists advised caution with the Western European media, noting that British media sometimes publish false information. Accuracy, in their opinion, requires working with social networks, in particular with Twitter.

In Slovakia, 53.8% of the polled media representatives admitted that they were guided by the rule, including the unspoken one, that Russian sources should not be used at all to cover topics related to the EU.

In general, media representatives from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia advised creating as much content as possible about the European Union, simplifying information and talking about everyday life so that citizens can notice the changes that are taking place thanks to EU efforts.

Talk about "Russian anti-Western propaganda" testifies to the helplessness of the European Union, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, is sure. Neither the Russian media, nor politicians set the task of undermining the authority of the EU, and the problems of the European Union are connected with the internal crisis.

“They (the Russian media. - RT ) did not create an internal crisis in the structure, they did not lead to brexitis. This is all the result of Brussels policy. But now, in order to divert from real problems, the EU is talking about Russian propaganda. Current European politicians are not able to cope with the problems, and they have not come up with anything smarter than how to explain their failures with the machinations and machinations of Moscow. Everything is so primitive and regrettable, ”the political scientist said.

* “The National Endowment for Democracy” is an organization whose activity is deemed undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of July 28, 2015.