Contact
Tbilisi 0144,
50/18 Ketevan Tsamebuli Ave/ Bochorma Str., 0144, Tbilisi
Tel/Fax: +995 32 2921667
E-mail: post@comcom.ge
Phone number
+995 32 2921667
ComCom Does not Uphold the Complaints of Georgia’s Future Academy against Teleimedi
ComCom did not uphold the complaints of Georgia’s Future Academy and Aleksandre Zibzibadze, as well as Georgia’s Future Academy, Aleksandre Zibzibadze and Maria Darchiev, regarding the imposition of administrative liability against Teleimedi. The organisation and the aforementioned individuals filed two complaints with ComCom regarding the reports about them in the Teleimedi shows “Chronicle” and “Imedis Kvira.” According to the complainants, their activities were presented in a negative context and represented the personal opinions of the journalist, in violation of Article 54.5 of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting, according to which the broadcaster must not cover the news and socio-political programmes based on personal attitudes or opinions.
According to the circumstances studied by ComCom, the programmes in question deal with the organisation's activities, as well as the distribution scheme and use of the money provided by the European Commission as a grant to the NGO and its subsequent allocation to other NGOs, including Georgia’s Future Academy. The programmes also include the journalistic investigation conducted on these issues and the conclusions drawn as a result of the investigation.
The Communications Commission notes that when the statements made by a journalist are based on any type of factual material, including the results of a journalistic investigation, and in which the journalist accuses a specific person or persons of certain unlawful or anti-social actions, then such statements should be viewed as allegations and not the personal opinion or attitude of the broadcaster.
Given that the statements made by the broadcaster are based on and preceded by an investigative story conducted by the same broadcaster, and since there were allegations made against a person, ComCom concluded that the above cannot be assessed as a personal opinion and/or expression of a position of the journalist. Therefore, the Communications Commission did not uphold the complaints of Georgia’s Future Academy, Aleksandre Zibzibadze and Maria Darchiev.
