The Kansan Journalist hits Tbilisi

Just one more thing to add to the list of ridiculous occupations on my resume, I am officially a published journalist for the Tbilisi national English language daily, The Messenger. Yup, all around Georgia, Expats are sipping their morning Kazbegi beers and saying to themselves, "didn't this girl say she used to live in a barn in Kansas...that's so weird!"

In my opinion, the article itself is horribly embarrassing. It's a shameless plug for two NGOs-- somewhat akin to buying an article in exchange for them taking me to cool places. But the editors at The Messenger seem excited, mostly because it's written in complete sentences. There is one grammatical error--but it's a typesetting situation, and I'll have you know that what I turned in was entirely accurate gramatically speaking--I figured it was the least I could do for being such an obviously untrained "journalist."

At the bottom of this blog, there's a link to the actual online version of my article. For those of you too lazy to click on it, the following is my article:


Fostering Civic Awareness and Democracy in Kvemo Kartli
by Adrienne Landry



When Kvemo Kartli government officials leave their Rustavi offices, a billboard across the street reminds them that with inactivity and apathy, time passes in favor of corruption. This anti-corruption campaign is just one of the many ways in which Catholic Relief Services Georgia (CRS) and their local partner, Civil Development Agency (CiDA), are working to encourage civic awareness and promote democracy in Kvemo Kartli.

In the recent past, Kvemo Kartli was known for corruption and bad governance. The general poverty and fragility of the region as well as the dishonesty and patronage system within the local government intensified divisions between its six districts, and exacerbated inter-ethnic tensions; ethnic Georgians comprise only 45% of the entire region, while 45% is Azeri, and 6% Armenian. Currently dialogue between ethnic groups is limited, and civic engagement is negligible.

These factors drive the work of CiDA and CRS Georgia as they actively develop educational campaigns, capacity building projects, and platforms for free, independent news coverage for Kvemo Kartli residents and local officials. "We are an organization that actively uses mechanisms to create a culture of dialogue," stated CiDA's chairman of the board, Zviad Devdariani, "There needs to be better understanding of what government is about, how the various departments work, what types of structures exist, and what local government means in our lives."

To engage this culture of dialogue, the first phase of CiDA's activities focused on government transparency and information sharing. Now the group collaborates with other local and international NGOs to assess the needs of the local population and provide problem solving techniques. "CRS, through projects of this nature, wants to reach out and actively engage local government, and promote better dialogue with civil society," said CRS Sub-Regional Representative Richard Hoffman. CRS, through its private funds, has been supporting civil society projects in Georgia for several years.

To facilitate better civic awareness, CiDA and CRS offer a variety of services to Kvemo Kartli residents. These services include monthly discussion groups on governmental and community issues, a budget analysis focused on tax revenue expenditure, a published compilation of municipal legislation, private and group consultation on citizens' rights, and alternative news sources.

In May 2006, CiDA established the "Kvemo Kartli Media Center" at their Rustavi Office, providing all regional journalists with an independent and open information-sharing platform and free access to a state-of-the-art Library/Resource Center. In addition to developing the institutional capacity of local media in Kvemo Kartli to secure professional, high-quality journalism, the Center works on strengthening cooperative relationships between independent local media, local government and civil society actors.
The two-prong approach, at once supporting local government and yet providing 'watchdog' activities for citizens, has led to remarkable success for CiDA. "It is very unusual for the region to have an NGO that is completely independent and is more focused on protecting their own autonomy than they are in seeking political backing. CiDA wants to work with the government and openly criticize it when necessary," said CRS Caucasus Project Officer Salome Odisharia.

The project's success is especially evident in its monthly newspaper "Informatori"-an alternative news source printed in Kvemo Kartli in Georgian and Russian. "It was a really unusual thing to have an independent voice published in a newspaper-it was really shocking for the population and local government to read published, alternative views," Odisharia continued.

With the collaboration and financial support from CRS and production consultation by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), what began as a small, Rustavi-centered newsletter has now expanded to being a regional source of independent news with CiDA and IWPR trained journalists located in each district of Kvemo Kartli. "Sometimes government officials are displeased with our critical arguments, but I think they know that this is the reality of an independent press," said Dvdariani.

By insisting on genuine independence and autonomy from local government and focusing on objective, unbiased reporting, "Informatori" has earned the reputation for not only actively informing the public, but also raising the standards of other news sources in the region. "Other local newspapers are beginning to see 'Informatori' as the new competition due to its quality both in production and in reporting. This too is raises the level of reporting in the region in general," said Dvdariani.

In collaboration with CRS Georgia, BBC World Trust, and StudioRe, CiDA hopes to broaden the scope of their audience by broadcasting independent and alternative news on the radio. Despite setbacks due to airwave licensing issues, BBC began training radio journalists in mid-June, and all are optimistic that licensing issues will be resolved by the fall. In the mean time, the NGO coalition plans on leasing airtime from established radio stations as a way of getting their word out.

NGOs like CiDA and its partners are invaluable resources when building democratic institutions in Georgia's local governments as well as promoting cross-regional understanding. By raising the voice of the local population and engaging citizens on a grassroots level, these cooperative efforts will hopefully not only "better inform the people in Kvemo Kartli, but also inform the rest of Georgia about the concerns and issues of importance to people in Kvemo Kartli," concluded Hoffman.

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1139_june_28_2006/n_1139_6.htm

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