The Communications Commission has announced that starting next week—March 9—it will begin the practical enforcement of the norms established by the Law on Broadcasting and the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters and will initiate monitoring of broadcasters.

The initiative to activate monitoring of the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters and the Law on Broadcasting was adopted by ComCom shortly after the United Kingdom sanctioned the government-affiliated propaganda outlets Imedi and POSTV. The agency considers that the sanctioning of these television stations is “aimed both at restricting fair competition among mass media outlets and hindering the professional activities of journalists, which could pose a threat to media pluralism and freedom of speech in the country.”

The Communications Commission cites the Law on Broadcasting and the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters, stating that these acts mandate the Commission to ensure the protection of objectivity standards in the media. According to their statement, despite the existence of the law, for nearly a year the Commission has only responded to complaints and has not initiated administrative proceedings against broadcasters on its own under this law.

“Given the above and based on the analysis of the challenges in the media environment, we consider it necessary for the Commission to bring into practice the norms established by the Law on Broadcasting and the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters starting next week. This is to ensure that the objectivity of broadcasters is assessed based on proper procedures and high legal standards,” the statement reads.

Last year, “Georgian Dream” passed repressive amendments to the Law on Broadcasting. These changes relate to the regulation of broadcaster content. According to the amendments:

• The expression of opinion is restricted in news programs as well as during the coverage of other public policy issues (excluding author programs);
• A person against whom accusations have been made in a program must be given the opportunity to provide a timely and proper response. The response must be covered fairly and accurately;
• The law defines all instances in which obtaining and/or transmitting information using undercover methods is justified; additionally, a standard for undercover recording on private property was established.

The Media Advocacy Coalition has responded to the statement released by the Communications Commission, believing that it contains clear signals regarding potential pressure and threats against independent media. “It is particularly problematic that the Commission, which by law should be an independent regulator and a guarantor of media freedom, creates the impression with its own statement that it is ready to use regulatory mechanisms as an instrument for evaluating and controlling the editorial activities of the media,” the statement says.

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics urges the National Communications Commission to refrain from evaluating content-related issues that fall within the scope of editorial independence and which, according to Georgian tradition and international practice, are subjects of self-regulation. Any other approach, even if based on the recent controversial changes to the Law on Broadcasting, will be viewed by the journalistic community as an attempt to impose censorship and a gross interference in the editorial independence of broadcasters.