Pro-government Imedi TV refuses to air opposition campaign ads until the opposition-leaning channels air those of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Three opposition-leaning media outlets – Mtavari TV, Formula TV and TV Pirveli – had refused to air GD’s campaign ad, showing images of war-torn Ukraine and contrasting them with the peace it offers the people of Georgia. The media say GD’s ad is unethical and constitutes war propaganda, inciting national strife and intimidating voters with war. Imedi TV says its refusal to air the opposition parties’ ads is in response to this decision.
The statement by the channel says: “Despite the fact that Imedi TV has a clear editorial policy – not to allow the “[United] National Movement” to return to power, which would lead the country to total disaster – we have continued to play the videos they provide.”
Imedi TV’s October 10 statement then accuses opposition media of not airing anti-Ukrainian video clips and of using flimsy arguments to justify breaking the law. It says it rejects airing all opposition party ads until the opposition-leaning media agrees to air GD’s ad manipulating war-torn Ukraine.
Imedi accuses the pro-opposition media, which it refers to as the “UNM media”, of creating an “imbalance” in the media environment and declares that “until the competitive electoral environment is ensured in this regard, we will not broadcast the advertisements of those parties of the collective [United] National Movement that are the criminal face of the former government.”
As Imedi is the government-controlled media, the reference to the “collective UNM”, the GD’s traditional jargon, should be understood as referring to all opposition parties.
Since the Communications Commission upheld the GD’s complaints against the opposition media for refusing to air GD ads and declared them to be in breach of the law and thus subject to the fines imposed by the court, it should do the same with Imedi. But it remains to be seen how ComCom will deal with the pro-government Imedi TV should the opposition parties file a complaint against it.
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