M-TAG Annual Report 2014-2015

During the first year of the program, several notable developments took place. Journalists from the newspaper Samkhretis Karibche/SK News online portal were attacked by a mob displeased with the newspaper's coverage of a murder case in a village. The police were suspected of orchestrating the attack, and the General Inspection under the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor General's office were called to investigate the case. Russian "soft power" attempted to make headway into the Georgian media landscape by broadcasting on local R-Radio's frequency. However, the GNCC initiated a case against R-Radio and its local partner NewsGeorgia for breaching license terms, resulting in a fine of GEL 5,000. In mid-December, Nino Zhizhilishvili, the News Director of TV Maestro, was fired, and a group of reporters left the TV station in solidarity with her. The journalists protested interference by the station's co-owner, who allegedly instructed them to make editorial policy "pro-Georgian," which in current political context reads as anti-Western and pro-Eurasian/pro-Russian. The Parliament approved changes to the Law on Broadcasting, clarifying definitions of types of advertising and regulating their length and frequency. However, the changes were met with protests from Rustavi, Maestro, Kavkasia, and other TV stations, who found the changes overly demanding. The GNCC justified the changes, citing the need to harmonize Georgian law with the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 200/13/EU. The terms of three GNCC commissioners expired in early 2015, and new commissioners were elected. Georgia's planned transition to digital signal broadcasting on June 17 was met with success, with regional TV companies awarded frequencies for constructing local MUXs and digital broadcasting in their zones. However, the deadline was postponed to July 1 due to a flood in Tbilisi. Ownership disputes intensified between Kibar Khalvashi, a former owner of Rustavi2, and the current owners of Rustavi2. Khalvashi filed a complaint against the current owners, requesting to place a lien on their shares in the TV company. The measures taken by Khalvashi have restricted the company's access to finances and have impeded its operations. The trial is ongoing, with Rustavi2 considering the accusations as unfounded and the measures taken as disproportionate. Media experts and the NGO community have expressed serious concerns over the impact of the ownership dispute on media pluralism in Georgia and have denounced the political motives of the prosecution. In the regions, journalists and media outlets have spoken out against pressures from local authorities and public officials. Incidents were reported in the Kakheti, Adjara, Guria, and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions, which are home to media organizations with a strong watchdog profile. During the first year of the M-TAG program, the Assessment Team traveled to the regions to interview the management and staff of several media outlets. Fifteen media outlets were selected for RMSI partnerships, and MSPs and support documents were developed for these outlets. IREX launched its hallmark training courses to increase the knowledge of Georgian journalists on NATO Integration policy, EU DCFTA policy, and Health care policy. Forty-four journalists benefited from these trainings. The Ethics Charter drafted its organizational and sustainability plan, with the goal of increasing its role in support of media independence and professionalism. The Charter conducted four training sessions on ethical issues in journalism, covering topics such as "stressful situations and how to work with traumatized people." Thirty-seven journalists from 29 media outlets benefited from these training sessions. TI Georgia conducted a workshop in data journalism for Tbilisi-based journalists and two-and-a-half-day orientation trainings in data journalism for RMSI partner media outlets. The organization also conducted training sessions on EU DCFTA and Health care policy for participants of the sector-specific training courses. A total of 48 journalists benefited from these trainings. TI Georgia also conducted on-site mentorship visits to media outlets in the Gurjaani, Imereti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Adjara regions. Nine media outlets received TI Georgia teams during these mentorship visits. The organization also published video tutorials for journalists on the topic of open data. IREX continued to provide technical assistance to Georgian regional television stations as they prepared for the digital switchover. The organization helped the stations find financially and technically viable solutions for building small-scale digital transmission networks. IREX also hosted a DSO roundtable for donors to raise awareness of the impact of Digital Switchover on regional TV stations and help them with needed resources. On July 5, IREX and TNS held a meeting with representatives of 15 radios and 3 advertising agencies to present the latest wave of radio industry research and discuss trends in the industry. IREX completed the web-based CMS to serve as a foundation for web portals