Imedi TV Anchor Pressed by Alasania over Fake Report

During a live interview with Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Irakli Alasania, an anchor of Imedi TV, Lasha Kharazishvili, came under persisting calls from the guest to apologize about his role in Imedi TV’s fake news broadcast on renewed war with Russia.

Kharazishvili, who is now an anchor of Imedi TV’s political talk show, Elections 2010, which invites Tbilisi mayoral candidates for interviewing in presence of other Imedi TV journalists, was a newscaster of the Imedi TV’s news program, Kronika, in which the fake report was aired on March 13.

Although being asked a question about a different issue, Alasania from the very beginning of the program started talking about importance of free media and congratulated journalists in the studio on World Press Freedom Day and then said that he wished the fact similar to the one when "through direct involvement of the President" it was made possible to air fake report, would never reoccur.
  
"At the same time I want to ask you – as you had one of the lead roles in that broadcast – to express your opinion [about the fake report], as the society is still waiting for the truth," Alasania told the anchor. "I also want to hear your opinion about why Imedi TV did not cover a very serious findings provided by a group of international experts about [fake report-related] recorded phone conversation."

Kharazishvili tried to interrupt Alasania for couple of times in one instance telling the mayoral candidate: "Here questions are asked by us."

"I want to know your opinion," Alasania told the anchor and the latter responded: "I will respond you about it later, but meanwhile answer to our questions."

The program then continued with Alasania responding questions, but less than 15 minutes later, Alasania again brought back the issue of the fake news broadcast by asking Kharazishvili: "Do you acknowledge that the fake broadcast was a mistake and do you, as an anchor of that broadcast, apologize for that? You promised me to answer my question."

"Yes, I will respond, but in this program questions are asked by us. We are now talking about elections," the anchor responded; but Alasania continued pressing.

Verbal sparring between the mayoral candidate and the TV anchor continued for two more minutes and after that Kharazishvili said that Imedi TV had already apologized for that fake broadcast and he personally too apologized for three times press interviews.

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