The Communications Commission has ruled that TV Pirveli, Formula, and Mtavari Arkhi violated Georgia’s Law On Broadcasting by breaching the principle of impartiality during news broadcasts. The complaint was filed by the ruling party, Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, which accused the broadcasters of expressing personal opinions during news coverage and failing to distinguish between facts and opinions.
The Commission confirmed the violation of Article 54, Paragraph 5 and Article 59¹, Paragraph 5, which prohibit broadcasters from showing support for or opposition to political or interest groups in news and socio-political programming.
Additionally, the complaint covered content shared on the broadcasters’ social media platforms, which, under Georgian law, are subject to the same impartiality standards.
However, no administrative sanctions were imposed. The Commission cited the fact that the violations occurred during a transitional period following the April 1, 2025 amendments to the broadcasting law — a period when impartiality standards were newly enforceable by the Commission rather than broadcasters’ internal regulatory bodies.
Commission Chair Kakha Bekauri stated:
“We will be as lenient as possible in law enforcement, especially until consistent legal practice is established… Our goal is to prevent disinformation, protect viewers, and ensure factual accuracy.”
The Commission now has the legal authority to respond to violations of new regulations introduced in April, which include requirements for fairness, accuracy, the right of reply, privacy protection, and responsible coverage of sensitive topics such as armed conflict and emergencies, particularly when minors are involved. Previously, such issues were handled only by internal self-regulatory mechanisms and could not be challenged legally.
This case marks one of the first high-profile applications of the new rules and highlights growing scrutiny over media impartiality in Georgia.
