Freedom of the media has been one of the critical challenges for Georgia’s democratic development and the country’s road to European integration in recent years. Georgia’s media landscape reflects the transitional nature of a democratic system when the authorities seek to curtail media freedom and promote government propaganda. Attacks on the freedom of media came under the particular attention of the European Union in 2022, when the European Parliament adopted an extremely critical resolution on the state of media in Georgia.
This report identifies a number of alarming trends concerning TV media in Georgia. Addressing these trends will be essential to accelerate Georgia’s European integration process and fulfil Copenhagen political criteria. Our recommendation to the Government of Georgia and the EU institutions is to address these trends and consider solving these issues as a major conditionality for the European integration of Georgia. If these trends continue and are not reversed fast, it could lead to the perishing of the critical media and strengthening of the pro-Governmental propaganda media, which will irreversibly damage Georgia’s European aspiration.