Study Speaks of Unprecedented Media Repression in 2024 Amid Foreign Agents Law
The new study, “Media Environment 2024: The Fight for Trust and Freedom in Georgia,” conducted by independent researchers as part of the Media and Communication Educational and Research Center project, “Media Voice,” was published today, March 26. The study assesses Georgia’s 2024 media landscape in the context of the “super-election year” and among other things, examines how the passage of the Foreign Agents Law has affected media work.
The study identifies three key topics that shaped the political agenda of Georgian media in 2024: “the instrumentalization of Russian-style laws, the demand or announcement of targeted sanctions, protests, elections, and the EU integration process.” It argues that the media largely failed to ask critical questions due to the overwhelming focus on the Foreign Agents Law, which it claims was designed to divert media resources from election coverage and push election-related topics off the agenda.
The study says that according to journalists, the Foreign Agents (Russian) Law was part of a well-instrumentalized pre-election campaign that fully focused the attention and resources of the media and civil society on the issue of the law. Consequently, the study says, during the pre-election period, “the media failed to ask critical questions and did not/could not investigate them.” The reintroduction and subsequent adoption of the law by the Georgian Dream was “a move aimed at diverting media resources from providing comprehensive election coverage and artificially excluding election-related topics from the media agenda.” A notable “side effect” of the Agents/ Russian Law was the adoption by media of a defensive and survival mode, characterized by the exhaustion of its physical, psychological, and legal resources.
According to the study this resulted in a significant increase in self-censorship and an atmosphere of fear. Journalists struggled to access public information, while sources became increasingly limited. Interestingly the pro-government media also noted among concerns the lack of access to pubic information. The law also emboldened violent groups affiliated with Georgian Dream to escalate their efforts to intimidate and stigmatize journalists, who were often labeled as “agents.
In the run-up to the elections, there were noticeable changes in the working regime of critical media and the daily routine of journalists, the study says as there was less focus on the preparation of diverse journalistic materials. There was also an increase in aggression against journalists by the ruling team and its supporters. This increase was particularly noticeable in the regions, the study says describing the election environment as “toxic” for the regional media.
An increase in aggression was also observed in the online media environment. According to journalists, their bullying on social media showed an organized nature, with significant increase in numbers of trolls and bots, including the so-called “administrative resource trolls”.
The study notes that the withdrawal of media donors from Georgia has further led local media to prioritize survival over development. It highlights the safety of journalists – physical, digital and psychological – as the most pressing challenge in 2024, directly linking it to the passage of the law. The study notes that not only journalists, but also their family members, have been targeted with violence following the law’s passage.
The document also holds the ruling party responsible for encouraging violence against journalists, saying that “brutal beatings of media professionals were broadcast live, contributing to the normalization of violence and criminal activity.” It argues that crimes against journalists have been treated with impunity, often classified as minor offenses such as hooliganism.
“Journalists note that such a repressive media environment has never been seen under any government,” the study concludes.
Also Read:
- 05/03/2025 – Europe Press Freedom Report: Rapid Decline of Press Freedom in 2024 in Georgia
- 30/10/2024 – Media Ombudsman: Election Day Was Marked by Violence, Intimidation Against Journalists
- 03/10/2024 – Partners of CoE Platform for Journalists’ Safety, MFRR Conclude Tbilisi Mission
- 05/08/2024 – Global Journalism Leaders Condemn Georgia’s ‘Russian Law’, Pledge Support to Georgian Collogues
- 03/05/2024 – Georgia’s Ranking Drops 26 Places, Landing at 103rd in RSF Press Freedom Ranking
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