Georgia moves up from 103rd to 114th place in RSF's Media Freedom Inde...
According to the document, the 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. Media owners often control editorial
content, as was the case with Rustavi 2, a TV channel that changed its
editorial line after its handover to a former owner, and the public
broadcaster GPB, which experienced government interference. Regional
and community radio stations struggle with funding problems, while the
print media’s readership is in decline and that of online news
outlets is on the rise.The country is undergoing a new and serious
political crisis following widely contested legislative elections in
October 2024, which have plunged the country into a repressive
environment and international isolation. This environment is conducive
to sustained competition for control of television networks. Although
Georgian law prohibits political parties from owning media outlets,
the big networks generally defend the interests of their owners, who
often have close ties to political leaders. The same goes for
state-owned media, which are subject to strong interference by the
authorities. At the same time, the authorities often refuse to respond
to media that criticise them and sometimes resort to censorship,
raids, smear campaigns and intimidation.The government still hasn’t
fulfilled the European Union’s recommendation on press freedom, a
necessary step before starting negotiations on membership. Contrary to
previous reforms strengthening pluralism and transparency in the
media, the government even adopted a repressive “foreign
influence” law that copies the Russian “foreign agents”
legislation, which undermines media freedom. The courts sometimes try
to attack the confidentiality of sources, even though it is guaranteed
by the law on freedom of expression.The underdeveloped advertising
market is declining in print and online media, which are largely
financed by donors, usually from the West. The worrying economic
problems of privately owned media have been accentuated by the
“foreign influence” law, which penalises media outlets supported
by Western institutions, as well as changes in advertising
legislation, distorting competition with the heavily subsidised
state-owned media.Georgian society is marked by strong social tensions
on certain issues, such as religion, LGBTQ+, rights and Russian
influence, impacting journalistic coverage. Influential social
figures, such as members of the Orthodox clergy, are wiretapped by the
security services, thereby violating the confidentiality of
journalists’ sources.Verbal and physical assaults on journalists are
frequent, including by senior government officials, especially during
electoral campaigns. A sustained and brutal assault on about 50
reporters during homophobic counter-demonstrations in July 2021, in
front of impassive security forces, marked an unprecedented setback.
The lack of transparency and progress in the investigation speaks to
the impunity enjoyed by those who commit crimes against journalists.
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