Georgian Public Broadcaster Director General Tinatin Berdzenishvili took part in the Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum discussion panel in Bonn, Germany, on June 21.

GPB Director General discussed why constructive storytelling is essential for journalism and promoting democracy in a panel titled The news: more than a barometer of public opinion. Ulrik Haagerup, the founder of the Constructive Institute in Danish Aarhus, Ewen MacAskill, former Guardian defence and security correspondent and Washington bureau chief, and Melanie Stei, journalist and Board Member of Bonn Institute, also attended the panel.

Tinatin Berdzenishvili also partook in the 4th Global Constructive Journalism Conference ‘Listen Louder’, which took place in Bonn on June 22.

In a panel titled “Why Constructive Journalism is being adopted by journalism leaders as an editorial strategy,” participants discussed polarization as the next pandemic and rethinking the role of news reporting at a time when trust in democracy, media, and politics is eroding.

Meeting participants sought answers to the following questions: How can war and conflict be covered constructively? How can we create dialogue in a room of conflict and not dig ditches deeper?

Esben Seerup, CEO of Danish TV2 Fyn, Jeremy Griffin, Executive Editor of The Times and Debarati Guha, Head of the Asia Department of DW joined the panel.

The GPB First Channel has been practising constructive journalism, a standard of reporting already widely adopted in leading European countries, for several months now. Eleven journalists from GPB have already completed a course at the Institute for Constructive Journalism at Aarhus University in Denmark. The training will resume in September 2022.

How @EBU_HQ Newsroom helps to Democracy @kurczabinska speaks at @ConstructiveIn 4th Global Conference #ListenLouder pic.twitter.com/4WIA67XySE

— Tina Berdzenishvili (@TinaBerdzenish1) June 22, 2022