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Media-Sustainability-Index-Europe-Eurasia-2018-Georgia-2.Pdf GEORGIA MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2018 Tracking Development of Sustainable Independent Media Around the World GEORGIA AT A GLANCE GENERAL MEDIA-SPECIFIC ▶ Population: 4,926,330 mln (CIA World ▶ Languages (% of population): Georgian ▶ Number of print outlets, radio stations, ▶ Annual advertising revenue in the media Factbook, July 2017 est,) (official) 87.6%, Azeri 6.2%, Armenian 3.9%, television stations nationwide: Print: 317 sector: The estimated revenue of the ▶ Capital city: Tbilisi Russian 1.2%, other 1% (CIA World Factbook, newspapers (National Statistics Office of television advertising market in 2017 reached 2014est.) Georgia, 2017); Broadcast: 91 active radio GEL 70 million (approximately $28 mln); (TV ▶ Ethnic groups (% of population): Georgian 86.8%, Azeri 6.3%, Armenian 4.5%, other ▶ GNI (2016-Atlas): $ 14,259.35 million (World broadcasting licenses, 30 Multiplex operators, MR GE, 2017) 2.3% (CIA World Factbook, 2014) Bank Development Indicators, 2016) 111 TV broadcasters with different types of ▶ News agencies: AP Bureau, Reuters Bureau, authorizations (one and the same company Agence France Presse (representatives), ▶ Religion (% of population): Orthodox ▶ GNI per capita (2016-PPP): $ 9,530 (World Bank, International Comparison owns several authorizations), 6 radio Bloomberg (local representative), info 9, Black Christian 83.4%, Muslim 10.7%, broadcasters with authorization. (Georgian Armenian-Apostolic 2.9%, other 1.2%, none Program database, 2016) Sea Press, Iveroni, NovostiGruzia, Sarke, National Communications Registry, accessed Interpressnews, Iprinda, Kavkazpress, Media 0.5% (CIA World Factbook, 2014) ▶ Literacy rate: 99.8% (male 99.8%, female in December, 2017) 99.7 %) (2015est. CIA World Factbook) News, Prime Time News, Pirveli, Georgian ▶ Newspaper circulation statistics (total Business Consulting News, Georgian President Giorgi ▶ President or top authority: circulation and largest paper): Rezonanse HotNews, GeoNews, Expressnews, World Margvelashvili (since October 27, 2013) (4,000–5,000 daily), Kviris Palitra (average Sport, ambebi.ge, Business Press News, 55,000 weekly) (individual newspaper claims) Droni.ge, epn.ge, agenda.ge, Aianews.ge, ▶ Broadcast ratings: Highest rated television Kakheti Information Center, Primetimenews. outlets in the country: Rustavi2, 4.63%; Imedi, ge, Kvemo Kartli Information Center, 4.91%; GDS, 1.06%, Comedy Channel 0.74%; Mtkheta-Tianeti Information Center, For. Chanel 1 0.64% (TV MR GE, 2017) ge, Frontnews.ge, Civil.ge, Economic.ge, marshalpres.ge, bpi.ge ▶ Internet subscribers: 733,691 (Georgian National Communications Commission, December, 2017) MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX: GEORGIA SCORE KEY Unsustainable, Anti-Free Press (0–1): Country does not meet or only minimally meets objectives. Government and laws actively hinder free media development, professionalism SUSTAINABLE is low, and media-industry activity is minimal. Unsustainable Mixed System (1–2): Country minimally 2.92 2.86 2.82 meets objectives, with segments of the legal system and 2.77 2.75 2.70 2.64 NEAR government opposed to a free media system. Evident progress 2.61 2.54 2.53 2.53 2.51 2.50 2.49 2.48 2.46 2.45 in free-press advocacy, increased professionalism, and new 2.41 SUSTAINABILITY 2.36 2.35 2.34 2.29 2.27 2.26 media businesses may be too recent to judge sustainability. 2.20 2.00 Near Sustainability (2–3): Country has progressed in meeting 1.83 multiple objectives, with legal norms, professionalism, and the 1.62 1.61 1.60 SUSTAINABILITY business environment supportive of independent media. Advances MIXED SYSTEM UNSUSTAINABLE have survived changes in government and have been codified in law and practice. However, more time may be needed to ensure that change is enduring and that increased professionalism and the media business environment are sustainable. Sustainable (3–4): Country has media that are considered 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 UNSUSTAINABLE ANTI-FREE PRESS generally professional, free, and sustainable, or to be approaching FREE PROFESSIONAL PLURALITY OF BUSINESS SUPPORTING SPEECH JOURNALISM NEWS SOURCES MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS these objectives. Systems supporting independent media OBJECTIVES have survived multiple governments, economic fluctuations, and changes in public opinion or social conventions. Scores for all years may be found online at https://www.irex.org/msi or Georgian media, 2017 was a vexing compete with commercial media for shows and OVERALL year. Trends that took hold the previous dwindling ad revenues. year—including politicization of media SCORE The GNCC sought expanded authority in the and shrinking advertising revenue— areas of media literacy, hate speech, and opinion tightened their grip on the television polls, moves that panel members called thinly 2.31 stations that provide most Georgians veiled efforts to impose more government with most of their news. The main, putatively F control over independent media. There was independent state media bodies, the Georgian turmoil for major private broadcasters, as the Business management remained Public Broadcaster (GPB) and the Georgia long-running and highly politicized legal fight the weakest element of Georgia’s National Communications Commission (GNCC), over ownership of Rustavi 2, the top-rated media landscape in a year showed worrying signs of becoming overtly channel, went to the European Court of Human that saw consolidation of the political actors. advertising market, mergers of Rights and the station’s finances nosedived. The GPB started the year with a newly elected pro-government channels, and Afgan Mukhtarli, an Azerbaijani investigative director. The main public broadcaster undertook the crisis at Rustavi 2, which was reporter who went into exile in Georgia to a series of changes that included: dropping punctuated by the defection of escape his home country’s clampdown on critically acclaimed social and political talk several highly rated programs. media critical of its government, was snatched shows; bringing in journalists from Georgian With their financial viability at off the street in Tbilisi and transported to Baku, Dream Studio (GDS), the television company risk, major broadcasters, for the where he is being held on questionable criminal formerly owned by the family of billionaire first time, sought income from charges. His abduction sparked an outcry businessman and former Prime Minister Bidzina cable carriers for transmitting from civil society and mainstream Georgian Ivanishvili; and relegating minority-language their shows, challenging the journalists, who took part in public and on-air programming to its website. Off the air, GPB “must carry, must offer” principle protests to express solidarity with Mukhtarli and backed amendments to the Law on Broadcasting in Georgian law. The depth of to challenge government denials of complicity in that broaden its access to advertisers and loosen the industry’s problems remains his abduction. unclear, as the GNCC did not restrictions on its acquisition of programming. release revenue figures for major The measures potentially position the GPB to stations. All the above contributed to the panel’s outlook on the state of Georgian media, dropping the country’s score from 2.34 to 2.31. 3 MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2018 GEORGIA OBJECTIVE 1: the GNCC’s “selective and inconsistent approach” in Kakheti and Mountain Radio in Mtskheta-Tianeti, to sanctioning outlets over polls published in the ostensibly due to a shortage of frequencies. In FREEDOM OF 2.54 SPEECH run-up to Georgia’s 2016 national elections, with another case, she said the GNCC denied frequencies broadcasters critical of the government facing to Radio Palitra and Radio Hereti in the first round The score for this objective declined by 0.21 point heavier penalties. Tamar Kintsurashvili, the director of applications, saying they were both so good the amid what panelists characterized as government of MDF, said the rule on polling could give GNCC commission could not make up its mind. “Wherever attempts to impose mechanisms for greater control over “not only the broadcasters, but research we have licensing, we have vague and badly justified media control. Upheaval at GPB; ownership and organizations as well.” The Georgia chapter of decisions or artificially prolonged procedures,” content controversies at Rustavi 2, the largest Transparency International (TI) criticized the Kuprashvili said. broadcast network and a thorn in the Georgian amendment, saying it could dampen public partic- There was contention and controversy Dream government’s side; and Mukhtarli’s ipation in opinion polls by arousing suspicions throughout the year about the GPB’s trajectory abduction and return to Azerbaijan were also “that the regulator might learn about the positions under its new director general, Vasil Maglaperidze, cited as causes for concern. expressed by the participants of the survey and their a former lawmaker and governor who previously stated support for political parties.” Georgia’s legislation guaranteeing free expression The final proposed amendment would, under and freedom of the press remains among the the umbrella of harmonizing Georgian law with Legal and social norms protect and promote strongest in the region, and a new constitution European Union directives, expand the GNCC’s free speech and access to public information. drafted in 2017 and awaiting adoption would authority to regulate
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