Formation of pre-election political discourse in the audiovisual media of Georgia

Abstract

Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the audio-visual material of two Georgian media outlets, the empirical base of research on the formation of political discourses and their influence on the socio-political life of the country is presented. Media content during the pre-election period September - October 2020: about 2337 publications of audio-visual character. The analysis of television content is of interest for understanding the information and political environment in a society where media is directly linked to various interest groups. There is a high concentration of the political factor in the media that determines its discourse. Taking into account the increasing political polarization in Georgia, the mass media also take an appropriate stance towards political actors and form discourse that serves the political agenda of a certain interest group. The public receives ideologically processed information and, despite the factor of democratization of the methods of political struggle, finds itself in a situation where political forces use information and disinformation as a method of combating opponents. The presented analysis is one of the first results of the inter-university project “Mass Media in Political Processes of Georgia”, it is crucial for understanding the trends of Georgian mass media related to both internal and external factors. The results of the research show the patterns inherent in different TV channels in the context of media and political environment in Georgia.