Imedi TV, the main pro-government channel, aired a conspiracy-laden report on November 23 claiming that local independent online media outlets form an “anti-Georgian network” serving foreign intelligence services to organize “artificial protests” and disinformation campaigns.
The 15-minute report, the latest in a series of similar “journalistic investigations” that earlier targeted CSOs and universities, advances at times mutually contradictory narratives, alleging, among others, a coordinated “anti-state propaganda” against the ruling party–backed projects, and a complex scheme linking to the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), a private university offering media programmes.
The piece targets more than 20 independent outlets that recently united under the Sinatle Media fundraising campaign to stay afloat after the Georgian Dream enacted a series of laws cutting off their access to funding. The channel also singled out the media organizations that critically covered the GD government’s controversial education reform and the large-scale real estate investment from the UAE-based Eagle Hills.
Among the outlets targeted in a new report were Publika, Netgazeti, OC Media, Mautskebeli, Guria News, Sova News, Project 64, iFact, and others.
“Through various funds, the European Commission and European states – Germany, Great Britain, and others – have been funding propaganda in Georgia,” the report claimed. The channel argued that “the so-called journalistic network financed by European funds has been particularly active recently in spreading disinformation about the investment project worth more than USD 6.5 bln,” referring to the Eagle Hills investment that has drawn questions over economic secrecy and environmental impact, among others.
‘Network’ Conspiracy
In the report, the channel used a series of complex graphic visualizations to illustrate what it described as a “scheme” and “network” involving media outlets, their managers, and private universities.
Imedi alleged, among others, a “network” of “more than 800 people” created with the involvement of the GIPA and consisting of online media representatives and investigative reporters, who the channel said “operate according to the plan developed by secret services.”
The channel further claimed that many of those in the “network” were also trained by GIPA, including media managers who, Imedi said, were GIPA journalism school alumni. The same report, however, initially argued that “a large part of people employed in these organizations are not journalists, but NGO operatives.”
The channel alleges, citing “files provided by a source,” that media outlets in the “network” received GEL 17,434,381 (USD 6,5 mln) from European and British funds “in less than ten months” and spoke of an additional “shadow funding scheme”, including through Wise transfers and overseas registration.
The report also said the supposed network had originally been set up by IREX and Internews with USAID funding, and turned to European donors after USAID was shut down. Those named included Deutsche Welle Akademie, BBC Media Action, International Media Support (IMS), Prague Civil Society Centre, and European Endowment for Democracy (EED).
Like in previous Imedi reports, the piece concluded by warning that the State Security Service of Georgia is fully aware of the “schemes,” adding that “the interests of external forces and foreign intelligence services cannot be carried out in our country.”
Outlets Respond
Several targeted outlets responded with condemnations.
“It is clear the report aims to demonize critical thought and clear the way for opaque, undisclosed projects,” Mautskebeli said in a statement. The outlet added that it is currently surviving on readers’ donations, noting that its staff have been working without salaries for seven months, as contributions only cover rent, insurance, and transportation.
Radio Tbilisi said it appealed the report to Imedi’s self-regulatory council, warning it will turn to the Communications Commission, the state media regulatory, the courts, and the Personal Data Protection Inspector. The station’s founder said the report was “baseless and defamatory, falsely portrayed him and Radio Tbilisi as ‘funded by foreign intelligence services.'”
The Imedi TV report comes as Georgian online media outlets find themselves in survival mode after a series of repressive laws passed by the Georgian Dream–led parliament restricted their access to foreign funding. Several media organizations have reported inspections by the soon-to-be-abolished Anti-Corruption Bureau, while authorities have invoked “sabotage” allegations to target a broader range of independent non-state actors, including NGOs and solidarity funds, through criminal probes.
Georgian Dream PM Irakli Kobakhidze, speaking to journalists in Rome, praised the Imedi report. “Once again, everyone can clearly see how coordinated the actions are of those organizations funded from specific foreign sources, whose goal is to obstruct our country’s development, and in this context, hinder the implementation of strategic projects in Georgia – strategic economic projects in particular,” he said.
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