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A group of civil society organizations, among them Media Development Foundation, Equality Movement, Tolerance and Diversity Institute, Georgian Democracy Initiative and Baltic to Black See Alliance Georgia, united under the civil platform No to Phobia, filed a complaint with the Maestro TV self-regulatory body on November 2. The group accuses Magda Anikashvili, anchor of Maestro TV’s October 27 news program, of making comments encouraging homophobia during the interview with Vice... Read More
The Board of Charter of Journalistic Ethics upheld complaint of Media Development Foundation (MDF) against Rezonansi newspaper at the meeting held on June 30. The Charter shared opinion of MDF and established that by publishing the article "Arabs, Indians, Iranians and Turks allot Georgian lands" author Mari Chitaia and Rezonansi editorial board breached paragraphs 1 (accuracy) and 7 (discrimination) of the Charter of Journalistic Ethics. According to the paragraphs 1,... Read More
Complaint: On March 20 a news program "Kronika at 2pm” on Imedi TV aired a story titled "A member of the LGBT community accused of fraud.” On March 30, 2016, a group of non-governmental organizations – Media Development Foundation (MDF), Identoba, LGBT Georgia, Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) and Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) initiated a complaint to the Self-Regulatory Body of Imedi TV demanding it to investigate the violation of the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters by th... Read More
Complaint: A program "With Palavandishvili – Me and Society School Subject” was aired on Palitra TV at 8 pm on February 28 (host Guram Palavandishvili). A group of non-governmental organizations – Media Development Foundation (MDF), Union Safari, Identoba, Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) and Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) initiated a complaint to the Self-Regulatory Body of Palitra TV on March 9, 2016, demanding it to investigate the violation of the Code of Cond... Read More
Complaint: On January 25, 2016, Georgian weekly newspaper Kviris Palitra published an article titled "Tashi, Bicho, Vartanusha!” (Clap, Vartanush, Clap; author Eka Salagaia) on its website. On February 3, 2016, four non-governmental organizations – Peace Foundation, Media Development Foundation (MDF), Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) and Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) - initiated a complaint to the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics demanding it to investigate the issue... Read More
Complaint: On August 8, 2015 news portal Guria News published Turkophobic article "Turkish Cultural Expansion Continues" by Giorgi Gachechiladze. On August 18 Media Development Foundation - MDF, Georgian Democracy Initiative - GDI and Tolerance and Diversity Institute -TDI initiated a complaintto the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics against the news portal. The authors of the compliant believed, that the article "Turkish Cultural Expansion Continues" was of Turkophobic nature and st... Read More
Complaint: In Spektritalk show of Kavkasia TV company aired on December 26, 2014 the anchor of the program David Akubardia made discriminative statements, inciting hatred against Muslim citizens of Georgia. Davit Akubardia: "Shah Abbas was a madman for Georgia. He killed 6000 clergymen in David Gareji, and when? On the Christmas eve...A well-known story is that they cut the heads of 30 000 Lazs… They brought an army of 50 thousand to the gorge saying they would kill those who don’t embrace I... Read More
Compliant: The program "From a Different Perspective" of ImediTV company aired a report "Children Sent to Madrasa" on December 25, 2014. In the report the journalist explained the decision of parents to send their children to the Muslim school bysocial disadvantage, not by religious belief. Three non-governmental organizations filed acomplaintwith the ImediTV self-regulatory body regarding a report on December 31 with request to study the fact of breaching of five Articles(14.9, 18.2, 33.1 -... Read More
Complaint: TheprogramNanuka’s Showof Rustavi 2 TV company aired on 26 November 2014 contained discriminatory expressions toward Jehovah’s Witnesses. Apart from repeated references to Jehovah’s Witnesses in a negative light, the presenter of the program Nanuka Zhorzholiani expressed her personal attitude in assessing the change of faith by a guest of the program - which is a matter of individual choice - as a positive development (‘I am afraid of them [Jehovah’s Witnesses]… It is good that you... Read More
Complaint: On 26 October, 2014 Rustavi 2 TV program ‘P.S.’ covered the controversial issue of religious building in village Mokhe of Adigeni district. Media Development Foundation, Georgian Muslims Union,Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center, and Tolerance and Diversity Institutebelieved that the coverage violated several articles of Code of Conduct of Broadcasters. According to NGOs, the program anchor David Kikalishvili,while presenting the story on the religious building in village M... Read More
Statement: On July 24, 2014 Internet portalsAmbebi. gerepublished article by the magazine Sarke, in which criminal case of Mariam Kochaladze murder was covered in xenophobic context. Article was base on only one source - the victim's godfather, developed the opinion that the murder had been committed on religious grounds (ritual of sacrifice) and it was linked with the girl's decision to abandon the Turkish school and alleged threats from the university's administration. Non-governmental and re... Read More
Complaint: The web portal Mediacity.ge published an interview with Tariel Nakaidze, the Deputy Chairman of the Georgian Muslims’ Unionon August 2, 2014. According to the Nakaidze, an interview represented free interpretation of his comments by the journalist; the phrases were cut from the context, also published version of the interview did not actually reflect histelephone comments and thus violated Articles 1 (accuracy) of the Charter. According to the respondent, the Articles 7 of the Charte... Read More
Complaint: On 14 May, 2014 during the TV show Spektri of Kavkasia TV company, David Akubardia the anchor of the program made thexenophobic statements supporting of the segregation of the citizens of Georgia by ethnic and geographic identity. David Akubardia, anchor:"This city [Rustavi] will become an Azeri one in 15-20 years unless we save it... Rustavi must be saved as a Georgian city and this is not my idea, it's Stalin's idea... This is an awkward topic, a gradual annexation, they advanc... Read More
Complaint: On April 19, at 13:00 the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) provided the live broadcast of the Holy Fire Easter ceremony with TV commentary of the event offered by representatives of Orthodox clergy. While commenting the religious ceremony, a cleric talked about the Anti-Discrimination Law which the Parliament of Georgia had passed in its first reading and in this light, he made discriminatory statements about LGBT persons and used offensive terminology ("perverted relationship"). Co... Read More
Complaint: On April 6, 2014 the P.S. program of Rustavi 2 TV company aired the story about construction of a mosque in Batumi. While in the beginning of the story the Chairman of the Georgian Muslims Union Kemal Tsetskhladze spoke about the problems the Muslims had in Batumi because of the fact that there was not enough space for prayers, which was farther confirmed by the scene of Friday prayers being held in the street, in the second part of the story the journalist presented the idea that ... Read More
Statement: Panorama program of Imedi TV company aired a discriminative reportabout Georgia's Samtskhe-Javakheti Region and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway on 23 March, 2014, which violated a number of provisions of the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters. Media Development Fund (MDF), Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) and Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) assessed the report as attempt to mislead the audience and artificially dramatize the situation. The presenter of the program, Soso Katsi... Read More
Complaint: On 12 March, 2014 Rezonansinewspaper published an article headlined "The Hollywood stars who hate homosexuals". On 5 April Media Development Foundation, MDF, and Tolerance and Diversity Institute, TDI, lodged a complaintto the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics against the article with the request to study the case. NGOs argued that the headline promoted hatred towards the LGBT persons and breached Article 7 of Charter of Journalistic Ethics, on unacceptability of discrimination... Read More
Website was developed by Media Development Foundation (MDF) within the frameworks of the Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness Program in Georgia, supported by USAID and implemented by UNAG. Opinions and ideas provided on this website are those of the Media Development Foundation (MDF) and do not represent the official position of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the UN Association of Georgia.