Center for Media, Information, and Social Studies (CMIS)
Our vision is a free media for a free society.
Our mission is to protect and uphold the rights of journalists, media organizations, and the public, as guaranteed by local and international agreements, through various means. This includes evaluating, researching, monitoring the media and information environment, developing recommendations, conducting training, and advocating for the protection of these rights.
Our values:
- Freedom and independence
- Protection and safety
- Professionalism and ethics
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing
- Respect for and service to society
Activities of CMIS
The Center for Media, Information, and Social Studies (CMIS) was founded in 2022 and has since implemented numerous projects focusing on media and information freedom, a healthy media environment, and the safety of journalists. As of September 2023, CMIS is a member of the “Coalition for Information Trustworthiness.”
Mamuka Andguladze serves as the non-executive director of CMIS. He is also the chair of the “Media Advocacy Coalition.” For many years, Mamuka was the Media Program Manager at Transparency International Georgia and the local head of the international anti-corruption movement. From 2015 to 2017, he worked as a Program Manager at the Council of Europe, coordinating several local and regional projects on issues such as media freedom, internet governance, data protection, self-regulation, and more. In 2016, he facilitated the creation of a regional commission on propaganda with representatives from media self-regulation bodies from Eastern Partnership countries and the Russian Federation. He was also a co-author of Freedom House’s report on press freedom in Georgia in 2016. Mamuka Andguladze is a lecturer at Tbilisi State University and a full professor at Caucasus University. He holds a PhD in media law from Saarland University.
Leadership
Eka Basilaya is the founder and executive director of CMIS. She has nearly 15 years of experience in researching and assessing the media environment and is the author of numerous local and international reports and studies. Eka is a member of the Supervisory Board of “iFact,” a union of investigative journalists. From 2022 to 2023, Eka served as a member of the Executive Board of the Association of US Exchange Program Alumni in Georgia (EPAG). She is an assistant professor at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs and a visiting lecturer at Tbilisi State University, with extensive experience in teaching and conducting academic research in media and mass communications.
Projects we have implemented
- “Assessment of Georgia’s Resilience to Disinformation”: From September 2022 to April 2023, CMIS, with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia, developed a methodology to assess the resilience of Georgia’s regions to disinformation, conducted research, and prepared a report (www.cmis.ge).
- “Promoting Media Freedom and Citizen Participation through Access to Public Information”: From October 2023 to September 2024, CMIS implemented this project with the support of the US Embassy’s Democracy Commission Small Grants Program. It involved collecting and analyzing data on requests for public information by media and citizens, and developing a portal where anyone (citizens and organizations) can request CMIS to prepare and send public information requests to relevant agencies.
- “Mapping Attacks on Journalists”: From May to August 2024, CMIS conducted a project on mapping attacks against journalists.
- Study on “Agents Laws”: In July 2024, with the support of the Coalition for Information Trustworthiness, CMIS and the European-Georgian Institute examined the processes surrounding the “agents laws” in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia.