Commonspace.eu: “Georgian media: diverse and ready to challenge”

In less than two months’ time is the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia where people will vote for who they want to rule the country. Where do the public get information about the various political parties challenging in the upcoming race? Is the media biased or balanced? Is there media freedom in Georgia?

Joseph d’Urso explores media freedom in Georgia in a series of pieces for commonspace.eu. His first article, published this week, describes the state of the media in Georgia, some of the challenges in the industry and how Georgia stacks up against its neighbours.

In 2016 Georgia ranked 64th out of 180 countries for press freedom, according to figures put together by Reporters Without Borders. This is higher than Armenia, and far higher than Azerbaijan, Russia or Turkey.

To speak generally about the media, d’Urso says: "Georgia has a free media in comparison to many of its neighbours. Overt censorship is rare. But journalists face challenges of a more subtle form.”

He describes several challenges the media faces, using one example of the close relationship between the state and the Church. He notes articles that question or criticize the Church often receive "insulting or threatening” comments by the public, yet journalists are not restricted in their reporting and are starting to write more openly about the topic.

D’Urso adds overt censorship in Georgia no longer exists yet soft censorship still remains in more subtle forms such as through subsidies, paid news, state advertising, bribery and other administrative pressures.

Some outlets in Georgia are firmly pro-government, while others are firmly pro-opposition. The situation is better than in neighbouring countries, where opposition views are rarely heard. But true neutrality and objectivity would be better,” he writes.

"A decade ago, a public official or oligarch who wanted to influence public opinion could simply buy a TV channel or a newspaper. Now, this is harder. The Georgian media, and the country in general, are becoming much freer.

As journalists are deploying modern technology and modern social values to shine a light on the powerful, the powerful are finding modern ways to hit back. But many young Georgian journalists are more ready to challenge than ever before.

Read the full article here: www.commonspace.eu