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Profiles

Media Development Foundation

The Media Development Foundation (MDF) is a Georgian non-governmental organization based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

History

MDF was established in April 2008. It launched Myth Detector, MDF's fact-checking platform, in 2014, “to uncover truth behind the lies, explore hidden agendas, raise the level of media literacy and inform both people and institutions of Georgia about the impacts of disinformation.”[1]

Since 2016, MDF has cooperated with EUvsDisinfo, the flagship project of the East StratCom Task Force of the European External Action Service (EEAS).[1:1]

MDF collaborated with Catherine Luther and her research team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on a project titled “Monitoring the Content and Measuring the Effectiveness of Russian Disinformation and Propaganda Campaigns in Selected Former Soviet Union States,” funded by the Office of Naval Research.[2][3]

COVID-19

In November 2019, Myth Detector became a verified member of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and its #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance,[4] as well as the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub.[1:2] Then, in September 2020, Myth Detector partnered with Facebook's third-party fact-checking program.[1:3]

In 2023, Myth Detector became a member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN).[5]

Organization

MDF is a member organization of the Open Information Partnership (OIP).[6]

Personnel

MDF's team is listed on its website.[1:4]

Name Position Notes
Tamar Khorbaladze Chair of the Board -
Tamar Kintsurashvili Executive Director -
Davit Gadaladze Financial Director -
Levan Giorgadze Board member -
Beka Mindiashvili Board member Public Defender of Georgia
Ketevan Mskhiladze Board member and Gender Program Director -
Tamar Shamili Board member (former)[7] -
Dali Tskitishvili Board member Ilia State University (ISU)
Giga Zedania Board member (former)[7:1] Ilia State University (ISU)
Mariam Akhalkatsi Communications and Social Media Manager -
Ekaterine Danelia Organizational Development Manager (former)[8] -
Tamar Gagniashvili Media Monitor -
Sandro Gigauri English Content Editor -
Sopo Gogadze Media Monitor -
Tinatin Gogoladze Head of Media Monitoring Department -
Ani Kistauri Researcher -
Arabela Kordzakhia Russian-language Editor -
Giorgi Minashvili Researcher -
Zviad Mzhavanadze Tech Administrator -
Mariam Pataridze Lawyer -
Maiko Ratiani Duty Editor -
Nika Shekeladze Researcher -
Mariam Tsutskiridze Graphical Administrator -
Tinatin Tvauri Researcher -

Donors and partners

MDF's donors and partners include:[1:5][9][10][11][12][13][7:2][14][5:1]

  • Animal Político
  • Baltic Center for Media Excellence (BCME)
  • Baltic to Black Sea Alliance (BBSA)
  • Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST)
  • Center for Independent Journalists
  • Chequeado
  • Civic Idea
  • The Critical Mass (TCM)
  • Delfi Melo Detektorius
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft[15]
  • Deutsche Welle (DW)
  • Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab)
  • DW Akademie
  • Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training Centre
  • Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia
  • Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia
  • Embassy of the United States in Tbilisi
  • EsPaja
  • Eurasia Partnership Foundation
  • European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN)
  • European Service Network (ESN)
  • European Union (EU)
  • European Values
  • Facebook
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
  • Fourth International Media Ethics Day (IMED Cyber)
  • Free Press Unlimited
  • Georgian National Commission for UNESCO
  • Georgia's Reform Associates (GRASS)
  • German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
  • German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
  • German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)
  • Global Disinformation Index (GDI)[16]
  • Government of the Netherlands
  • Hedayah
  • Human Rights Center (HRC)
  • Ilia State University (ISU)
  • Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS)
  • Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
  • International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
  • International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)
  • International Media Support (IMS)
  • International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
  • International Youth Alliance for Peace (IYAP)
  • Internews
  • Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF)
  • La Silla Vacía
  • Maldita.es
  • MediaWise
  • Meta Platforms
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
  • National Archives of Georgia
  • NATO Liaison Office in Georgia (NLO)
  • NATO Public Diplomacy Division
  • Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe (n-ost)
  • New Democracy Fund (NDF)
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
  • Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)
  • Poynter Institute
  • StopFake
  • Ukraine Crisis Media Center
  • UkraineFacts
  • Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communication
  • UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance
  • UNICEF
  • United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG)
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)
  • United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • The Why Foundation
  • Women Engage for a Common Future Germany (WECF Germany)
  • Women Engage for a Common Future Georgia (WECF Georgia)
  • Zinc Network

  1. About Us. Media Development Foundation. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.mdfgeorgia.ge/eng/page/1 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Kintsurashvili, T. (2021). Annual Report 2020 (p. 37). Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20241206234013/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2020 upload.pdf ↩︎

  3. Russian Disinformation and Propaganda Campaigns. (2018). Minerva Research Initiative. https://web.archive.org/web/20241207014011/https://minerva.defense.gov/Research/Funded-Projects/Article/2021888/russian-disinformation-and-propaganda-campaigns/ ↩︎

  4. CoronaVirusFacts Alliance. Poynter. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from http://archive.today/2021.09.30-202800/https://www.poynter.org/coronavirusfactsalliance/ ↩︎

  5. Kintsurashvili, T. (2024). Annual Report 2023. Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20241207235520/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2023-ENG (1).pdf ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. About us. Open Information Partnership. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20241001122605/https://openinformationpartnership.org/about-us/ ↩︎

  7. Kintsurashvili, T. (2022). Annual Report 2021. Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20221010063759/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2021-ENG (2).pdf ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. Kintsurashvili, T. (2021). Annual Report 2020 (p. 6). Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20241206234013/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2020 upload.pdf ↩︎

  9. Financial report for the year 2018. Media Development Foundation. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240513165636/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads/Financial report for the year 2018 MDF.pdf ↩︎

  10. Financial report for the year 2019. Media Development Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240714065553/http://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads/Financial report for the year 2019 MDF.pdf ↩︎

  11. Financial Report for the year 2020. Media Development Foundation. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20241206234018/http://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Financial Report for the year 2020_ENG_MDF.pdf ↩︎

  12. Financial Report for the year 2021. Media Development Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240714192541/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Eng 2021.pdf ↩︎

  13. Kintsurashvili, T. (2021). Annual Report 2020 (p. 41). Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20241206234013/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2020 upload.pdf ↩︎

  14. Kintsurashvili, T. (2023). Annual Report 2022. Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20240804131519/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2022-ENG.pdf ↩︎

  15. Kintsurashvili, T. (2021). Annual Report 2020 (p. 34). Media Development Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20241206234013/https://mdfgeorgia.ge/uploads//Annual Report-2020 upload.pdf ↩︎

  16. About. The Global Disinformation Index. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.01.24-055041/https://www.disinformationindex.org/about/ ↩︎