On March 27, 2025, the propagandist TV channel Imedi spread disinformation targeting critically-minded journalists from the Georgian Public Broadcaster — Nino Zautashvili and Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani — accusing them of receiving “illicit income.”
Imedi also accused other critically-inclined journalists from the Public Broadcaster — Guranda Goginashvili, Tukha Kvinikadze, and Tamar Mshvenieradze — of the same. These journalists are part of the program Real Space, hosted by Nino Zautashvili.
The initial report by Imedi claimed that Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani’s wife owned an advertising company. Chikovani responded to the disinformation on social media, accusing the TV station of spreading lies.
Imedi later deleted the information about Chikovani and admitted that they had mistaken the journalist’s wife for another individual. However, the accusations against Nino Zautashvili remain accessible.
It is worth noting that the accusations of “illicit income” against the critically-minded journalists coincided with threats of legal action from the Public Broadcaster’s board of trustees, which is linked to the ruling party Georgian Dream. On March 21, 2025, members of the board of trustees associated with Georgian Dream demanded during a board meeting that the Prosecutor’s Office launch an investigation against journalists Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani and Nino Zautashvili due to their critical stance toward the broadcaster’s editorial policy.