InterNews.ge
Title
Internews Georgia
Description
Internews Network has been working in Georgia since the first general meeting of non-governmental television stations from throughout the Southern Caucasus, held in Borjomi in 1994. At that time, station managers made little or no money through independent advertising and were dependent on patrons for support. Without financial independence, stations were reluctant to broadcast controversial news and self-censorship was predominant. Licenses were distributed and revoked at the discretion of the government, without oversight from civil society. In 1994, there were only 25 non-governmental stations in Georgia, mostly initiated by people with little or no experience in the field.
Only 10 of these stations produced news, and State TV produced the only national news program in the country. There were no independent networks, and almost all programming on the air was pirated.
Today in Georgia twenty-seven stations produce news, there is a strong national news program (Kurieri and Night Kurieri produced and broadcast by the Rustavi 2 network), there are two television networks and one radio network,and stations are increasingly broadcasting licensed programming. New legislation provides for an independent Regulatory Commission providing for more transparent distribution of licenses. Though self-censorship is still a major problem, there are strong outlets where journalists with the determination to report freely can work. Though violence and intimidation against journalists continues to be a serious problem, broadcasters have become strong enough to rally significant public support in their defense.
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