OSCE representative for media freedom concerned by developments in Adjara TV
Adjara TV and radio receive more than nine million GEL in state funding annually. Photo: batumelebi.ge.
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OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir says that he is concerned by recent developments in Adjara TV and Radio Public Broadcaster of Georgia, a state-funded media outlet in the autonomous region of Adjara in western Georgia, and about ‘reported management interference’ in the channel’s editorial policy.
Desir has tweeted:
Worried about recent dismissals & resignations of some Public Broadcaster Adjara TV & Radio key staff in #Georgia, and about reported management’s interference in its editorial policy. Independent service public broadcaster plays a vital societal role & is key to media freedom.
— OSCE media freedom (@OSCE_RFoM) March 10, 2020
Situation got tense around Adjara TV after the dismissal of Natia Kapanadze as the director of the channel in the Spring of 2019, who took the post at the end of 2016.
Two members of the Adjara TV Advisor’s Council Giga Chkhartishvili and Irakli Dartsmelidze, who appeared in the council with the quotas of the Georgian Dream ruling party and the United National Movement opposition party, demanded Kapanadze’s dismissal as the latter “does not respect the council, the rating of the channel has been halved under her leadership and top priorities of the channel are never met.”
Four of five members of the council supported Kapanadze’s dismissal.
Kapanadze said that her dismissal was related to the wish of the Georgian government to exercise control over the channel.
Since then several managers and journalists have left the channel with similar accusations.
Georgia comes in 60th of 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index by the international, non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders, which promotes and defends the freedom of information and the press.
International, non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders, which promotes and defends freedom of information and the press, has upgraded Georgia’s freedom of press index by three points.
French-based, international non-profit organisation Reporters without Borders (RWB) has released its annual 2016 World Press Freedom Index which revealed Georgia has progressed in terms of media freedom and transparency in recent years.
Georgia has been named as one of Eurasia’s brightest stars by independent watchdog organization Freedom House.
The 2020 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders says that ‘Georgia’s media are pluralist but still very polarized,’ adding that the reforms of recent years have brought improvements in media ownership transparency and satellite TV pluralism,’ but owners still often call the shots on editorial content.’