Free Topic

Broadcasters use non-election topics for election context as well.

Several days before the official launch of the election campaign, a scan of the national TV news reveals that several topics have seemingly eclipsed what many consider to be major election issues. "Rustavi 2" is focusing mostly on foreign policy issues, "Maestro" and "Kavkasia" stress domestic politics while Public Broadcaster has been emphasizing social issues.

"They want 6 May to be a 'police day' and 23 November - revolution day. Time will come when Saint George strikes them with his sword," said Zviad Dzidziguri, an opposition candidate for Tbilisi Mayor about the declaration of the 6 May 'Day of Police'. Opposition TV channel Kavkasia aired opposition statements about the looming protest action on their evening news. Maestro's attention was drawn to the U.S. Embassy where the U.S. Department of State advised American citizens to stay away from places of protest actions and demonstrations. U.S. government representatives explained this precaution as the result of threats coming from the opposition, while the opposition blamed it on President Saakashvili's continual stressing of the potential danger coming from Russia. The embassy explained, however, that this was just another routine statement similar to many they had made in Georgia previously.

"Rustavi 2" aired an exclusive interview with Georgia's Interior Minister regarding his decision to make 6 May the official "Day of Police." Minister Merabishvili backed up this decision by saying that this day is already associated with pleasant emotions for "many people." Those who are somehow not included under the heading of "many people" seem to have been left out of the attention of Georgia's national broadcasting companies. The archive materials from the occurrence of 6 May, 2009 and the two demonstrators who were hurt in the incident were remembered only by "Maestro" and "Kavkasia".

The police parade of 6 May and the opposition's protest action were aired in predictable succession by the TV channels. National channels started with the parade and the president's address and continued with the material showing the protesters and their clashes with police, while "Kavkasia" and "Maestro" showed them in the opposite order. "Moambe" was the only news outlet upon which information about the religious holiday (Saint George's Day) preceded the report about the police day.
Imedi titled their report: "The 'Police Day' and the stone-throwing opposition".

Another difference in how the events of 6 May were broadcast on some TV channels lies in the use of the adverb "too": "The protesters were hurt and the law enforcers were hurt too," one channel said; "The police officers were hurt and the protesters were hurt too," said the another. The different uses of this one word - "too" - effectively changed the stress. But it should be noted that all channels noted that people were hurt on both sides. They also underlined the low number of people who gathered at another opposition demonstration held on Saakadze Square.

Among the topics that overshadowed local Georgian election issues for a month-and-a-half were: the deaths of the Polish president and the government delegation traveling with him in a plane crash (for several days this topic completely occupied the leads of the national news); the subsequent mourning in Poland; the details of the catastrophe; the mourning in Georgia; the details from Moscow; the mourning in Europe; a photo exhibition about Kaczynski; Georgian refugees on Kaczynski; and Polish citizens grateful to Saakashvili for his visit in Poland at a time when Barrack Obama went to play golf.

The stories also included natural disasters that could have be easily been politicized by the broadcasters. The reporting on the danger of the flooding of the village of Velistsikhe was even more of an example of how government works during emergency situations than the highlight of the problem. "Even if there is a slightest danger, it is our responsibility to remove it," said the minister of environmental protection, who traveled to Velistsikhe together with other government members. The evening news showed exemplary discipline for several days reporting the development of the story: the water level in the Velistsikhe fell by 10 cm, the danger of flooding had been removed, the sun finally looked out of the clouds in Velistsikhe... Other no less topical social issues are rarely covered in such a detail.

The conclusion of the British examination of the phone conversation between Tsamalashvili-Arveladze and the telephone communication between high-ranking officials Merabishvili and Kutelia, Aldamov and Lortkipanidze (about the gathering of the people of Caucasus and the recognition of the genocide) on YouTube occupied quite a long time on "Kavkasia" and "Maestro" channels.

Another interesting aspect is the governmental chronicles. In an exclusive interview given to "Rustavi 2" from the USA, the president said that this improved Tbilisi was the result of the good work of not only Gigi Ugulava but of the entire team. That is why his and other government members' appearances on TV is perceived as a "team support". The demotion of Kodua was explained by the intergovernmental confrontation in a report which aired on "Kavkasia". The news even quoted a newspaper article which read that "Ugulava controls the universities" and the majority member Davit Darchiashvili had to explain that "the team is together and these are the ministry's internal affairs".

"Until now there were no tennis courts in Kutaisi. The stadiums were in poor condition and Kutaisians had to learn swimming on the parquet. If you behave yourselves, we will pour water in it," said the president wearing a T-shirt reading "I Love Kutaisi" at the opening ceremony of a training centre in Kutaisi. "Maestro" chose to focus on an incident that occurred in Kutaisi. It was about a verbal quarrel that a woman from Kutaisi had with the president's bodyguards and how she was removed from the place by force.

"The fulfilled promise" - this is how "Kurieri" presented the president's visit to Misaktsieli to the public. There, the installation of individual electricity meters will be finished in a month. The president has fulfilled a promise made two years ago and has received new "tasks" from the people.

A journalist speaking on "Maestro"about the president's visit to Misaktsieli argued that this visit disrupted local classes. Pupils and their teachers had to line up along the ponds which had been hurriedly dried for this occasion and the people who had received electricity meters somehow managed to appear next to the president.
In fact, the main topic of the reports broadcast on "Imedi", "Rustavi 2" and "Maestro" was not the installation of these meters. The political context completely overshadowed the social importance of the issue.

And finally, according to the latest study made by the National Democratic Institute, 58% of the people surveyed consider "democracy" to be "freedom of speech and media"; and 25% surveyed put "fair elections" at the top of the list. So it seems that the Georgian media has a high responsibility to live up to ahead of the elections.

"Liebrali", #30