We, organizations signatory to this statement, are extremely concerned about the deep institutional crisis  the Georgian Public Broadcaster is in. Public trust towards the broadcaster is critically low, while it keeps receiving increasing funding from the state budget. Unfortunately, the Public Broadcaster fails to serve the interests of the public, is unable to fulfill its legal role; and acts instead as a media organization that is in service of political party interests.

Considering the importance of the role and function of a public broadcaster in a democratic society, we are launching a movement for reforming the Public Broadcaster and propose a 6-point plan involving the following demands:

1. A meeting with the Prime Minister of Georgia – A higher degree of political will is required to improve the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Therefore, we request a meeting with the Prime Minister where we can present our demands and opinions, and discuss possible solutions.

2. Members of the Board of Trustees and the General Director must be summoned to the Parliament – We would like to once again call upon the Parliament of Georgia to look into the activities of the Public Broadcaster and organize a public hearing to examine the extent to which the broadcaster is fulfilling its legal obligations.

3. The Director of the Public Broadcaster Vasil Maghlaperidze must resign – The Georgian Public Broadcaster has made a number of inconsistent and questionable decisions under Vasil Maghlaperidze's leadership. These decisions were related to: a vague plan to reform the broadcaster; implementing a closed staffing policy, whereby journalists from the former Prime Minister's TV station were employed through uncompetitive procedures; suspicious tenders; failure to fulfill program priorities; assuming an editorial policy that was loyal towards the government; closing of the broadcaster’s European Office, etc. Vasil Maghlaperidze was also involved in the Public Broadcaster’s decision to air a video footage of a writer Zviad Ratiani that was taken out of context in a way that served the interests of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which violated universally recognized ethical standards.

4. 2017 activities of the new management must be subjected to an extraordinary audit – An audit report published by the State Audit Office, which covers the period of 2015-2016, identified significant financial and managerial violations that match the assessments issued by the civil sector. Considering the questionable nature of decisions made by the new management of the Public Broadcaster in 2017, we believe that it is necessary to conduct an extraordinary audit of the broadcaster to examine its work over the past year.

5. The reform of the Georgian Public Broadcaster must , including a possible revision of the institutional formation of the Board of Trustees and amendment of norms regulating its activities – The existing norms regulating the Board of Trustees clearly do not meet the challenges faced by the Public Broadcaster. Therefore, for the purpose of establishing a more accountable Board that is free of political and economic influence, the Parliament must set up a working group with the involvement of civil society that will develop a better model for setting quotas and selecting members of the Board of Trustees.

6. The Parliament must not overrule the President's veto on the amendments to the Law on Public Broadcasting – Amendments initiated by the Public Broadcaster reduce its openness and transparency, increase the risk of corruption and significantly damage the advertising market. Therefore, the Parliament must not overrule the veto and needs to work with the civil sector and other stakeholders on legal amendments that are actually needed to reform the broadcaster.

1. Transparency International Georgia

2. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethicstr

3. Georgian Young Lawyers Association

4. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

5. Open Society Georgia Foundation

6. CIDA

7. Media Club

8. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy

9. Georgia’s Reforms Associates

10. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center

11. Small and Medium Telecom operators Association of Georgia

12. Center for Researching Journalistics and Economic Analytics

13. Sapari

14. Article 42 of the Constitution

15. Human Rights Center

16. Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation Center of Torture Victims

17. Media Institute

18. Journalistic Resource Center

19. Europe Foundation

20. Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies

21. Voice from Georgia

22. Women's Fund in Georgia

23. Civil Development Association

24. Union Demosi

25. Bolnisi Language House

26. Georgia Rural Council

27. Association “Spectrum”

28. The Union of Democrat Meskhs

29. Community Union Hereti

30. Peace Charter

31. We for Sensible Future

32. Association Union of Chiatura

33. The Young Scientists’ Club of Ozurgeti

34. Saunje

35. Atinati

36. Tkibuli District Development Fund

37. Step Kharagauli

38. Samtskhe Javakheti Media Center

39. Human Rights Development Found

40. Paata Shamugia - Poet

41. Lasha Bakradze - Writer

42. Sandro Jandieri - Director

43. Gvantsa Jobava - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association

44. Rati Amaghlobeli - Poet

45. Lasha Bughadze - Writer

46. Nestan Kvinikadze - Writer

47. Nino Danelia - Professor at Ilia State University

48. Nino Ivanishvili - GIPA, Dean of Journalistic and Media Management School

49. Shota Iatashvili - Poet

50. Zurab Rtveliashvili - Poet

51. Levan Berdzenishvili - Philologist

52. Nino Bekishvili - Translator/Journalist

53. Masho Samadashvili - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association

54. Otar Jirkvalishvili - Writer

55. Iunona Guruli - Writer

56. Temur Chkhetiani - Poet

57. Keti Kantaria - Translator

58. Teona Dolenjashvili - Writer

59. Diana Anfimiadi - Writer

60. Zviad Ratiani - Poet

61. Darejan Kikoliashvili - Translator

62. Dato Robakidze - Poet

63. Jimsher Rekhviashvili - Writer

64. Gaga Nakhutsrishvili - Poet

65. Irakli Lomouri - Writer

66. Gia Jandieri - New Economic School

67. Irakli Kakabadze - Writer

68. Natia Mikeladze - Goethe Institute

69. Khatuna Tskhadadze - Translator

70. Nino Robakidze - Media Researcher

71. Nino Kharatishvili - Writer

72. Teona Jorbenadze - Script Writer/Producer

73. Dato Turashvili - Writer

74. Ekaterine Togonidze - Writer

75. Medea Bakradze - Painter

76. Khatuna Tavdgiridze - Writer