The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective:

To learn how the mass-media pays attention to tobacco control actions in Georgia and how they are responding to these actions.

Methods:

Analyzing articles in newspapers and TV materials during last one year.

Results:

We analyzed articles of top 5 newspapers: “Rezonansi”, “Georgian Times”, “Alia”, “Kviris palitra” and “Axali taoba”, and 3 TV channels: “Rustavi-2”, “Imedi” and “I channel”. Sufficient number of articles and TV programs were directed to the problems of taxation and smuggling – 58%, after then problems of ratification of the FCTC and execution of national legislation – 31% and only 11% directed to preventive and treatment activities. High percentage of articles directed to taxation and smuggling problems were motivated by the 3 times increasing of tobacco taxation from 01.01.05 and second one most important issue was the FCTC ratification and problems of implementation of measures of national tobacco control legislation, because Georgia has no ratified the treaty yet. More actions are directed to preventive measures, but there is not sufficient interest from mass-media and particularly from TV channels, they have interests to economic and political issues mostly then preventive actions. For getting new information and skills there will be needed organizing special training courses for journalists in tobacco control.