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ComCom Fines TV Pirveli GEL 2,500 for Violating the Law on Broadcasting
The Communications Commission has imposed a GEL 2,500 fine on TV Pirveli for violating the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting. The Commission monitored the broadcaster's programming between 11 and 13 May, during which it reviewed the 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. editions of the news programme Pirvelebi, identifying several instances in which current public policy issues were presented on the basis of the broadcaster's own opinions or editorial position.
Under the principle of impartiality, the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting prohibits broadcasters from expressing their own opinions or presenting current events in a biased manner in news programmes and certain public affairs shows. Specifically, Article 54(5) of the Law provides that news and public affairs programmes may not present information concerning political or other public disputes, or current public policy issues, based on the broadcaster's personal opinion or attitude. Broadcasters are prohibited from expressing support for or opposition to any political party, public or religious organisation, or other interest groups.
The Commission concluded that the statements identified during the monitoring period were made directly by the broadcaster's representatives, including news presenters and journalists, and were expressed as their own opinions rather than quotations or assessments attributed to third parties. According to the law, a broadcaster must not report news based on the broadcaster's personal attitude or opinion. In the given cases, the phrases uttered by the broadcaster's presenters/journalists, given their context, form of distribution, content and intensity, constitute news coverage based on the broadcaster's personal attitude or opinion.
Due to the fact that TV Pirveli had already received a written warning earlier in the same year for the same type of violation and subsequently committed the violation again, ComCom imposed the minimum financial penalty provided by law—GEL 2,500.
