Georgia’s Public Broadcaster has once again come under intense public scrutiny amidst the ongoing, large-scale European protest movements across the country. Concerns about the broadcaster’s impartiality have existed for years due to its perceived bias in favor of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party. However, recent political developments have further illuminated its role in promoting a narrative aligned closely with the interests of the ruling party. An analysis of the broadcaster’s editorial policy and managerial decisions indicates a deliberate use of the institution as a propaganda tool by "Georgian Dream", including the dissemination of disinformation and anti-Western rhetoric. The broadcaster’s leadership has been openly targeting employees who express dissent or speak out against its editorial stance. As a result, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Vasil Maghlaperidze, and the Director, Tinatin Berdzenishvili, were named in a recent resolution passed by the European Parliament. They appeared alongside other individuals the Parliament recommended for sanctions due to their support of what it describes as the repressive policies and propaganda efforts spearheaded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of "Georgian Dream."

• The Mission of the Public Broadcaster

Under Georgian law, the Public Broadcaster is mandated to operate independently from the government, remaining accountable solely to the public and not subject to the authority of any state institution. It is funded annually through the state budget (its 2025 budget 

 nearing 124 million GEL) and is therefore expected to produce and deliver diverse programming that is politically neutral, free from commercial influence, and aligned with the public interest. However, for years now, the broadcaster has been flagrantly violating its legal obligations and international standards, raising serious concerns in society about its impartiality and independence. These concerns stem primarily from the clear connections between the broadcaster’s management and the majority of its Board of Trustees with the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, as well as from its overtly loyal editorial policy. These patterns have been consistently reflected in recent monitoring results.

A two-month pre-election monitoring conducted in 2024 by the Charter of Journalistic Ethics of Georgia revealed that during the pre-election period, the Public Broadcaster’s First Channel maintained an editorial policy biased in favor of the "Georgian Dream" when covering ongoing socio-political developments. Furthermore, in its flagship news program Moambe, the coverage was not only biased but also reflected noticeable anti-Western sentiment that echoed statements made by "Georgian Dream." Even the internal pre-election monitoring carried out by First Channel itself indicated that the ruling party, "Georgian Dream," received the most airtime during the pre-election period. This trend was also confirmed by the monitoring results of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission.

• Connections Between the Public Broadcaster's Leadership and “Georgian Dream”

The Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster, composed of 11 members, is structured in such a way that it is consistently dominated by candidates who are loyal to the government and nominated through its quota. These individuals typically serve to advance pro-government interests within the broadcaster, which ultimately has a clear and direct influence on the channel’s editorial policy.

For example, the current Chair of the Board of Trustees, Vasil Maghlaperidze, previously served as Deputy Director and Executive Producer of the news program 20:30 on Channel 9, a television station owned by the family of Bidzina Ivanishvili. In 2017, he was appointed Director General of the Public Broadcaster. Upon taking office, Maghlaperidze illegally dismissed several employees from the broadcaster, while simultaneously hiring dozens of former employees from Ivanishvili’s television channel without holding an open competition. Ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections, Maghlaperidze resigned, stating that he was stepping down to avoid raising concerns about First Channel’s impartiality during the election period. Shortly after leaving the broadcaster, he was appointed Deputy Chair of the Political Council of “Georgian Dream.” Then, in April 2022, he returned to the Board of Trustees once again through the “Georgian Dream” quota. Initially appointed as an ordinary member, he was promoted to Chair of the Board within the same month. During his application for the position, Maghlaperidze openly confirmed that his political preferences had not changed and that he continued to support the “Georgian Dream.” In his words: “I had a position and I’m transparent with the public. It’s clear where I stood and what I supported politically.” He has also been unreserved in expressing admiration for Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream.” For instance, just ten days before the 2024 parliamentary elections, during the opening ceremony of First Channel’s new building, Maghlaperidze personally thanked Ivanishvili for his “direct support” in the construction of the facility. 

Among the current members of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees is Bondo Mdzinarashvili, former anchor and editor-in-chief of the openly pro-Russian and anti-Western TV Obiektivi. Mdzinarashvili is widely known for his homophobic, offensive, and explicitly anti-Western rhetoric. His public statements often laced with anti-Western, pro-Russian, Turkophobic, and hate speech have been repeatedly flagged by the Georgian fact-checking platform Myth Detector in its investigative reports.

Another sitting trustee, Giorgi Iakobashvili, was appointed through the Georgian Dream quota as well. He is the editor-in-chief of the online media platform For.ge, which is known for its strong support of the ruling party. Iakobashvili has been linked to the destruction of audio recordings from a 2018 meeting between the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees, its management, and union representatives. In the past, civil society organizations have publicly called on both Parliament and the Public Broadcaster to respond to a series of offensive and inflammatory statements he made on social media. Moreover, research conducted by the Media Development Foundation (MDF) indicates that For.ge was actively involved in smear campaigns targeting former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, among others. Iakobashvili has also publicly supported the so-called “Russian Law”, a controversial draft law on “foreign agents” widely criticized for threatening civil society and media independence in Georgia.

Grigol (Gia) Murghulia was also appointed to the Board of Trustees through the Georgian Dream quota. Other members considered loyal to the ruling party include Giorgi Kokhreidze and Tamila Dolidze. From 2019 to 2022, Giorgi Kokhreidze served as the Director of the Adjara Public Broadcaster. During his tenure, a campaign of pressure and retaliation against critical staff members reportedly began. Kokhreidze unlawfully dismissed or reassigned employees to significantly different positions, shut down programs, and appointed preferred individuals without open competition. Under his leadership, the channel’s editorial policy shifted notably in favor of Georgian Dream. Tamila Dolidze, another trustee, was also appointed through the ruling party’s quota. From 2019 to 2023, she served as a member of the Advisory Council of the Adjara Public Broadcaster.

Management

Since 2020, the position of Director General of the Public Broadcaster has been held by Tinatin Berdzenishvili, who succeeded Vasil Maghlaperidze. Prior to her appointment, she served as his first deputy. Upon assuming office, Berdzenishvili pledged to “successfully continue the work of her predecessor.” She fulfilled that promise - effectively inheriting and maintaining the legacy of Maghlaperidze’s tenure. In 2022, during Berdzenishvili’s leadership, the host and two journalists of the Imedis Kvira program - Imeda Darsalia, Sopho Zedelashvili, and Tamta Janadze - publicly accused the broadcaster’s management of censorship and interference in editorial independence. They revealed the existence of a so-called “blacklist” of potential respondents who were banned from appearing on their show. Shortly after making these claims, all three were dismissed. Their legal case is currently being supported in court by Transparency International Georgia. Later, two more former journalists of the same program - Keti Tutberidze and Sopho Mtivlishvili - also spoke out about attempts at censorship. Their complaints primarily concerned the period of Maghlaperidze’s directorship, during which Berdzenishvili served as his deputy.

A particularly noteworthy figure at the Public Broadcaster is Giorgi Gvimradze, who led the channel’s News and Current Affairs Division from 2015 until December 2024. He resigned from this position after verbally and physically assaulting two women who were participating in a protest outside the broadcaster’s headquarters. On the same day, he was reassigned as head of the Analytical Department. Gvimradze had previously served as a consultant to the Secretary of the National Security Council under the Georgian Dream government in 2013–2014. He is known for his openly anti-Western rhetoric and for his affiliations with organizations linked to Russia. For instance, in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Gvimradze claimed that the Biden administration sanctioned Bidzina Ivanishvili for “avoiding war with Russia,” achieving “the highest economic growth in the region,” and passing the so-called “transparency” (foreign agents) law. Notably, in 2013, he visited Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the invitation of the Kremlin-linked Gorchakov Foundation, where he met with Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. Gvimradze has also participated in a Eurasian Union conference held in Armenia. In 2023, several members of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees requested that the Director General submit a formal report on Gvimradze, citing concerns that his programs “consistently questioned” Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process. Since July 2024, Gvimradze has co-hosted the podcast 42^nd Parallel alongside Vasil Maghlaperidze on the Public Broadcaster. The show regularly features guests (most of whom are supporters of Georgian Dream) and promotes anti-Western narratives.

In addition to the figures previously mentioned, key editorial decisions at the Public Broadcaster are made and various senior positions held by former employees of GDS (Georgian Dream Studio), a television station owned by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s son, Bera Ivanishvili. These individuals were hired by Vasil Maghlaperidze without an open competition. For example, Eka Shonia, who currently serves as Head of the News Division and Acting Director of News and Current Affairs at the First Channel, was formerly Head of the News Division at GDS. The Public Broadcaster’s website editor-in-chief, Irina Dekanoidze, previously held the same role at GDS’s news agency, 2030.news. Other former GDS staff members now working at the Public Broadcaster include: Tamuna Kenkishvili and Maia Chuchulashvili - Producers of the daily news bulletins, Maka Tsintsadze - Talk show host, Nodar Chichinadze - Chief Financial Officer

The broadcaster’s clear editorial bias has been repeatedly exposed by the Facebook page “Makurebeli” (“The Viewer”), a volunteer-led initiative aimed at promoting transparency, quality, and audience-centered content at the Public Broadcaster. Through its ongoing monitoring, Makurebeli has identified numerous instances in which the broadcaster’s coverage was biased, manipulative, and aligned with the interests of the ruling party and the channel’s management.

Editorial Policy and Censorship

• The control of editorial policy: exposed through recent events in the country has revealed that the Public Broadcaster restricts journalists and producers from covering topics deemed undesirable by the Georgian Dream party. They are also instructed to remove critical comments about the government made by respondents. For instance, one of the Broadcaster’s producers, Elene Kvirkhalia, who has worked at First Channel  for decades, recalled being asked to remove a segment from a show where actor Andro Chichinadze discussed issues at the Georgian Film Center. Chichinadze was arrested during the pro-European protest movements in the country and is considered one of the political prisoners.
• Broadcasting Restrictions: The Public Broadcaster’s failure to provide adequate airtime for critical voices and its one-sided coverage of the country’s events, particularly in line with Georgian Dream’s interests, became even more apparent during the recent pro-European protest movements. This editorial stance was met with negative reactions from activists, who protested outside the broadcaster’s headquarters and reminded management of the real mission of the Public Broadcaster. They demanded a more balanced representation of events and the inclusion of the public’s protest voice in the coverage. Initially, the broadcaster’s management partially addressed the protesters’ demands, allotting approximately 40 minutes of airtime on a daily basis. However, within a month, this airtime was abruptly cut off and has not been reinstated since.
• Format Change: In the summer of 2024, a few months before the elections, the Public Broadcaster halted Real Space, the only show that addressed pressing and critical social issues and was a rare platform for hearing the voices of the people on the channel. Starting in September, the show was moved to the radio, and the change in format was explained by the delayed relocation to the new building. It’s noteworthy that the new building of the broadcaster has been equipped with studios for various entertainment shows and news programs, and most of them are already being broadcast from the new building. However, Real Space remains on the radio.
• Pressure on Employees: The Public Broadcaster continues its harmful practices, actively persecuting and harassing employees who openly oppose the channel’s biased editorial policies. This harmful practice was exemplified by the removal of Vasili Ivanov-Chikovani, the host of the daily news show Moambis, from the airwaves and his subsequent dismissal. Similarly, Nino Zautashvili, the host of the talk show Real Space, was also dismissed. In addition to the dismissal of these hosts, the broadcaster imposed disciplinary sanctions on four other employees, who are considered part of the “defenders of the broadcaster”. The orders publicly released by two of them indicate that if they continue to question the broadcaster’s editorial independence and impartiality, they may face termination.
• Political Propaganda: Georgian Dream also uses the Public Broadcaster as its own propaganda tool, a fact that has recently been openly discussed by the broadcaster’s employees. For instance, at an open meeting of the Public Broadcaster’s Supervisory Board in early February, the sport programmes’ director of the channel Kaha Melikidze recalled that during the broadcast of the Georgian national football team’s spring and autumn matches, he was instructed to feature Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze “as much as possible” on air.
• Ignoring Critical Issues: The ongoing pro-European protest in the country is taking place against the backdrop of mass arrests, biased judicial proceedings, and the active intimidation of activists, all of which are part of the regime’s strategy to institutionalize censorship and suppress critical voices. In this context, the Public Broadcaster fails to adequately inform its viewers about the ongoing events and does not provide them with many important details. This is evidenced both by the daily monitoring results of The Viewer as well as by statements from some of the broadcaster's own employees.

Long-term observation shows that, overall, the Public Broadcaster, which should serve the public, is in fact under the control of the Ivanishvili government, where independent journalists are systematically restricted or dismissed from their positions.

Personnel Policy/Employees Dismissed on Political Grounds

In recent years, the personnel policy of the Public Broadcaster and the issue of employees' dismissal have repeatedly become subjects of widespread discussion, during which dozens of employees were dismissed under the pretext of reorganization. From 2017 until today, Transparency International Georgia has defended the rights of 7 employees in court. Observations of the trials clearly show that the rights of employees working at the broadcaster are not protected.

Personnel Policy:

• Mass Dismissals: The mass dismissal of employees at the broadcaster began in 2017, and by 2021, a total of 102 employees were dismissed. Some of the dismissed employees initiated labor disputes in court, the majority of which were decided in favor of the plaintiffs. Between 2017 and 2020, the broadcaster paid approximately 300,000 GEL in compensation to dismissed employees, and in some cases, it was forced to reinstate a few employees. The dismissal of employees from the broadcaster continued thereafter.
• Absence of Staffing Schedule: Despite the legal obligation, the broadcaster has not had an approved staffing schedule for years, which complicates the determination of needs and the exact number of employees. This, in general, creates an unstable working environment and often blatantly violates the labor rights of employees, which in many cases manifests itself in various forms of harassment and dismissal of employees critical of the editorial policy under the pretext of reorganization and cost optimization. In February 2025, due to "cost optimization," the public broadcaster did not renew the labor contract of radio programs "Midday Peak" and "Evening Peak" assistant producer, Ana Metreveli, whose salary was 490 GEL. Ana Metreveli is one of the employees who openly criticizes the channel's editorial policy and links her dismissal directly to this fact. Another example is the closure of several popular TV programs at the end of 2023 under the pretext of reorganization and cost optimization, the hosts of which were known for their critical positions towards the government. Even earlier, in 2022, the broadcaster dismissed the hosts and journalists of the program "New Week," who had openly accused the management of attempting censorship. It is also noteworthy that when Vasili Maghlaperidze was appointed director in 2017, there was an attempt to close the program "Real Space" among other shows. The program was saved by protests at the time.

The developments of these events have caused immense damage to the broadcaster's reputation and trust, resulting in objective criticism and sharp protest from the public. It has also highlighted the need for the broadcaster to improve its staffing policy and ensure the protection of employees' rights.

• Protests from the Public and Some Employees Against the Broadcaster

The protest of the public and some employees became even more evident from late November 2024, against the backdrop of nationwide pro-European protests. Shortly after the protests began, the issue of adequately covering the ongoing processes in the country and granting television airtime to the voices of the people turned the broadcaster's building into one of the protest centers. Although initially, the management of the public broadcaster partially met the protesters' demands and allotted about 40 minutes of airtime for citizens to express their positions, the broadcast was stopped after about a month and has not been resumed. Therefore, protests with the same demands continue on a daily basis in front of the broadcaster.

The first person to respond to the public's protests by acknowledging that the editorial policy of the Public Broadcaster's news block did not meet the current demands of society was the host of the 18:00 news program "Moambe," Vasili Ivanov-Chikovani. Shortly after, over 80 of the broadcaster's employees joined him in issuing a joint statement condemning the police violence against participants in the pro-European protests. Furthermore, they distanced themselves from the Georgian Dream's statement calling for the suspension of the process of rapprochement with the European Union and demanded that the broadcaster allow public opinion to be voiced through its airtime and open discussions. However, these demands went unaddressed.

Later, some of them created a Facebook page titled "Guardians of the Public Broadcaster," where they began posting materials related to the challenges within the broadcaster. Overall, the "Guardians of the Public Broadcaster" believe that "the broadcaster violates the law and ethical principles! The broadcaster's management is subject to political influence. Journalists and hosts express their own opinions and are not neutral." Additionally, they argue that the broadcaster fails to inform the public about important details, such as the beatings, torture, and threats of rape against detainees by law enforcement during protest actions, among other issues.

The unlawful detention and pretrial detention of Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the online outlets "Batumelebi" and "Netgazeti," during the January 11-12 protests in Batumi is noteworthy. She faces a potential 4-7 years of imprisonment. In solidarity with her, Vasili Ivanov-Chikovani, the host of "Moambe," expressed his support on air and made this a recurring theme. Before each segment, he would remind the audience that Amaghlobeli was on a hunger strike in protest, and he publicly showed his support for her. Shortly after this gesture, two producers of "Moambe" refused to work with him, and as a result, Ivanov-Chikovani was "temporarily" removed from the air on February 4. On April 11, he was permanently dismissed. His replacement for the 18:00 news broadcast was Lasha Berdzenishvili, who was appointed without an open competition. Prior to joining "Public Broadcaster," Berdzenishvili worked at "Rustavi 2" and earlier at "Imedi." In the wake of Ivanov-Chikovani's dismissal, an investigation was launched by the "Public Broadcaster" into him and other employees critical of the management. This investigation was seen by many as an attempt to exert pressure and intimidate the employees.

In the same context, the March 21 session of the Public Broadcaster's Supervisory Board is particularly alarming. During this session, members of the board who support the ruling party, Georgian Dream, demanded the involvement of the Prosecutor's Office in investigating the cases of journalists critical of the management's policies. This move raised concerns about potential political pressure and interference in the work of journalists, further highlighting the tense environment at the Public Broadcaster, where independent and critical voices are increasingly marginalized.

The Public Broadcaster, which has been a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 2005, has been violating the international standards and principles that European broadcasters uphold for years. Due to this, several letters have been sent recently to the management of the EBU, urging them to investigate and monitor the ongoing processes and issues within the broadcaster. These letters were sent by local NGOs and even by the broadcaster's own employees. Last year, due to violations of the Broadcasting Law, the NGOs demanded the resignation of Vasili Maghlaperidze and Tinatin Berzenishvili.

The Media Advocacy Coalition considers it unacceptable that the Public Broadcaster is engaging in the persecution, intimidation, and various forms of harassment against independent journalists. It is crucial that journalists are allowed to fully carry out their professional duties, as this is their primary obligation to the audience. It is clear that the current management and supervisory board of the broadcaster are failing to fulfill their responsibilities, and they have been used as tools in the implementation of the repressive policy against independent journalists by the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Therefore, the coalition strongly believes that the change of the current management is critical and calls for the resignation of the General Director, Tina Berzenishvili, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Vasili Maghlaperidze, advocating instead for the establishment of a politically neutral management.