Journalistic Solidarity and Professionalism is the Solution, Dato Chaganava

“I didn’t protest when News Stories of “Other Journalists’ were blocked”

Eka Kevanishvili, Tbilisi

Dato Chaganava, a former journalist of TV-company Rustavi 2 was dismissed for lack of discipline – at least that’s what the administration officially told him when he was fired. Prior to his dismissal he had prepared two rather critical stories on the terrible events of November 2007. However, in spite of all his work, they were never aired.

However, people saw these news pieces via internet. Dato Chaganava’s first news piece was on Zugdidi when the authorities in Zugdidi did their best to prevent people from being able to travel to Tbilisi and join the peaceful demonstration. In his story the journalist spoke about the reasons for blocking all kinds of transports for these people from being able to protest.  Minibus drivers were intimidated by patrol police. One excuse was that necessary number of tickets had not sent from Tbilisi to Zugdidi. Consequently, a large number of people were unable to Tbilisi.

Dato Chaganava prepared the second news piece two weeks after the protests and beatings of November 7, 2008. The program showed the most important and terrible moments of the demonstration dispersal on November 7. The journalist showed the shots of the Special Unit chasing the demonstrators to undergrounds, drug stores, the entrances of apartment buildings in order to beat them. The news piece also covered the fact of dispersing the hunger strikers in front of the parliament hall in the November 7 morning:

“The news program was objective. We showed all the dispersal related scenes, talked about the legislature. We highlighted the fact that the police went to the parliament hall in the morning and started beating innocent people. The fact of beating journalists, destroying their cameras was also highlighted,” recollects Chaganava. After this news piece Chaganava was dismissed for the TV-company.

Dato Chaganava’s main concern is not his dismissal. He is more concerned about the lack of professionalism among Georgian journalists.

“If a journalist can make an objective story he will do it, and if he is lucky enough his story will be broadcasted.  Today the pressure is on the entire media system and not upon individual journalists. Our country underwent the Rose revolution because of the strength of the media. However, now the level of professionalism has reached a new low in Georgia. Much of the problem for lack of media freedom is that there are few real journalists working in Georgia.  However, there are many people who wish to gain easy and cheap popularity and call themselves journalists.

Everyone knows about this situation. I am thinking about the ways of changing it. The televisions are blocked from being able to work normally. Print journalists have very low salary which reduces level of professionalism and the overall quality of the printed media. The research shows that the majority of population watches TV rather then uses other information sources. Consequently, the pressure on TV-companies is high. Those who are responsible for implementing reforms (meaning that Georgian government) think that no one can prevent them from doing so. Criticism is something that does not suit them.

When my story was blocked the staff of Kurieri P.S. should have refused to go on air, which would have been a solution under the circumstances.  I know what a job means for the journalists. They do not want to lose income and therefore they do not want to protest actively, but this should be stopped. One French journalist told me that if the similar problem arose in France all the journalists would go on strike. Apparently, I did not protest when some other journalist’s story was blocked and then they came after me and there was nobody to stand with me. 

Dato Chaganava thinks that the concept of creating a code conduct for journalists is a good one. This charter will be able to regulate the relations between the politicians and journalists, and if one journalist has some problems, than every media source must start talking about it. This would be a form to express solidarity, which will allow for freedom of media at a normal stage in its development. However, such resistance would probably stop the young government from doing as it wants, and the government does what it can to keep the media from organizing and the motivations are clear.