Georgia’s media landscape “diverse”, but “highly politically polarised” – World Press Freedom Index

The Georgian media landscape is diverse and, at the same time, highly politically polarised. Manipulation, hate speech and disinformation are widespread in the media, especially on television, the main source of information, the World Press Freedom Index published earlier this week by Reporters Without Borders said. 

 

Media owners often control editorial content, as seen with Rustavi 2, a domestic TV channel whose editorial line “changed completely” after it was handed over to a former owner in 2019, said the survey. 

 

The survey in which Georgia jumped 12 places compared to 2022 and was ranked 77th out of 180 foreign states, also said the country was undergoing “a new and serious political crisis following contested legislative elections in October 2020”. 

 

“This environment favours sustained competition for control of television networks. Georgian law prohibits political parties from owning media, but the big networks generally defend the interests of their owners, who often have close ties to political leaders”. 

 

The survey highlighted in the run-up to reforms that strengthened media transparency, the domestic government had “made clear its aim to control independent radio stations and television networks” by way of a change in the electronic communication law and then by a bill on foreign agents copied from Russia, which was ultimately aborted in April  following street protests and international pressure. 

 

It said the advertising market was underdeveloped in print and online media, which were largely financed by donors, usually from the West. 

 

“The worrying economic problems of privately owned media have been accentuated by a change in advertising legislation and are distorting competition with the heavily subsidised state-owned media”, the survey said. 

 

According to the survey, verbal and physical assaults on journalists were frequent, including by senior government officials, especially during election campaigns.

 

It also pointed to the “lack of transparency and progress” in the investigation of such events, as well as the three and a half year sentence for the director of an opposition TV channel,Nika Gvaramia.