Cactus

Cactus is an online media outlet that reports on the environment and healthcare issues that are often underrepresented in the media.

The outlet aims to spread verified and reliable scientific information from international sources, and translate this content into Georgian in order to make global knowledge accessible to Georgian readers and promote fact-based science.

Along with the translation of reliable scientific sources, Cactus requests relevant data from Georgian government agencies to provide local context for important international scientific discoveries, find similarities and differences, and present them to Georgian readers.

Cactus also advocates for collecting and analysing reliable environmental data to understand the underlying issues and improve data-driven policy-making in the country. It also tries to raise awareness about the importance of climate change in Georgia, where this remains "a luxury topic to report on", as the media's attention primarily focuses on topics such as poverty, politics, or the economy.

The organisation was co-founded in 2018 by Tsira Gvasalia, a journalist with extensive experience in environmental reporting and a passion for in-depth, fact-based journalism. Inspired by The New York Times's reporting, Gvasalia has developed an interest in adapting English-language information for Georgian audiences.

"As we do not have the local expertise and a well-developed scientific ecosystem, it is very important to bring non-Georgian sources and verified scientific knowledge to Georgia," Gvasalia said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Cactus was one of the most relevant Georgian-language sources, relying on the most valid scientific sources and translating them into Georgian. The sources and data collected and published by Cactus were used by both television and online media organisations.

Cactus is also involved in cross-border reporting projects, and works closely with Armenian and German colleagues to raise awareness of the impact of pollution on the environment.