Nini Mtchedlishvili

Before joining the Ph.D. program at Merrill College, Nini (Nino) Mtchedlishvili developed a unique perspective through her combined background in international law, public administration and journalism. Her experience spans roles in newsrooms and public institutions, where she gained in-depth knowledge of media and governance while cultivating a particular interest in human rights. 

This foundation has shaped her commitment to understanding how media systems operate within broader legal and societal frameworks, with a particular interest in politics and the ways law, governance and journalism intersect through political and socio-economic factors. She is especially drawn to exploring how truth is shaped within these contexts and is eager to apply this knowledge to her journalistic research on disinformation, misinformation and fake news.

In her journalism career, Mtchedlishvili has contributed as a statehouse correspondent for the Daily Hampshire Gazette covering western Massachusetts and as a copy editor at Essex Media Group where she was responsible for quality assurance for seven newspapers and magazines. During her internship at Euronews Georgia, she worked on producing and editing news stories, enhancing the newsroom’s ability to deliver reliable and engaging content.

In addition to her journalism career, Mtchedlishvili has contributed to governance and public policy initiatives. At the Good Governance Institute, she supported efforts to enhance democratic processes, including research for election law reform in Georgia. Her work with the Georgian Parliament, Ministry of Refugees of Georgia and UNHCR further highlights her commitment to human rights, media independence and good governance. 

Areas of Interest

• Disinformation, misinformation and fake news
• Caucasian and Eastern European regional journalism
• Data journalism and computational text analysis
• Journalism ethics and transparency
• Freedom of speech and democracy

Education

• Erasmus Mundus Fellowship in International Law, Tallinn University
• B.A. (International Law), Tbilisi State University
• M.P.A, Tbilisi State University & German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer
• M.S. (Journalism), Boston University