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Georgian TV channels turned into presidential mouthpiece
Published: 22 February, 2010, 08:24
Edited: 24 February, 2010, 05:36
TAGS: Georgia, Mass media
Aggressive efforts have been used by Georgian authorities as part of persistent state manipulation of the news media, according to a recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Natia Mikiashvili, producer of Maestro TV channel, told RT: “I’d say three major channels in the country are controlled by the government… you can tell that even by seeing one journalist working with three microphones.”
Natia used to work for Imedi – one of Georgia’s leading news channels. In 2007, when it was still an independent network, Imedi was subject to a police raid following the massive anti-government protests in the capital, Tbilisi. Today the channel sticks to a firm pro-presidential stance.
Rustavi-2 – another major Georgian network – was once considered the flagship of unbiased news reporting in Georgia. Yet the government now has a firm grip on its editorial content too.
“Today, Rustavi-2 works as a mouthpiece for the government and supports the negative process, the internal and external politics of the government. It's sad to see how journalists become servants to the state,” believes Erosi Kitsmarishvili, former owner of Rustavi-2.
Kitsmarishvili sold his stake in the channel six years ago, reportedly after being forced to do so by government officials.
Today Rustavi-2 is owned by one of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's supporters. All critical coverage has now vanished from its airwaves.
There are also plenty of other news sources in Georgia, as anyone can tell from looking at news stands, with a wide variety of newspapers and magazines available. The catch is – 96% of Georgians get their news from television. And the two channels with the widest audience reach in the country push the government’s viewpoint.
Despite taking a hefty pay cut, and losing the other benefits of working for a large media outlet, Natia Mikiashvili says she has no regrets about leaving Imedi, adding, “The people need independent media. They need to know the truth.”
Right now, Georgia is on a charm offensive to persuade the world that it has wiped out corruption and cleaned up its act.
However, as independent media watchers have now proven, Georgians now have a hard time judging for themselves whether their politicians are clean or not, as their TVs are only able to broadcast what the government wants them to hear.
22.02.2010, 04:23
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2 comments
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@ Kihnu, Everything you just said had NOTHING to do with this story...lol Maybe next time before you post your anti American comments you stop and actually view the vid or read the article....funny But ...I do agree with Nelson and Razkolnik..... When Russia doesn't like what a reporter is writing about her, she just make the reporter go away or they just disapear....
A frequent complaint of the Georgians opposed to Saakashvili regime is their lack of access to the TV media which is controlled by Saakashvili, his family, or their cronies. Without such access, the opposition is not able to communicate with the Georgian people, who mostly get their "news" from the TV. Take for example, Saakashvili's brazen attack on Tskhinvali August 21, 2008, that pecipitated Russian defense of the Ossetian people. The Whole world know that Saakashvili and his American trained Army initiated the attack. Yet, the Saakashvili controlled media continues to disseminate their "Big Lie" that "Russia attacked little Georgia". Many Georgians believe this outright Saakashvili deception because their media continues to drum this into their heads. Who could possibly have advised Saakashvili to manipulate the Georgian via the "Big Lie"? Does George Bush and his "WMD" deception come to mind? Many Americans still believe Dick Cheney's lie that Saddam Hussein was connected to the 9-11 attack. Now, the current "Big Lie" in the Saakashvili's controlled media is that it is the "patriotic duty" of Georgians to serve Barak Hussein Obama in Afghanistan. The first right that a people lose when a tyrant (like Saakashvili) comes to power is the right to a free press. Without a free press, there can be no freedom.