The Communications Commission of Georgia has fined the Formula television company 5,000 lari for violating the Law on Broadcasting, according to the regulator’s press service. The violation was identified during routine monitoring of the channel’s news programs conducted from June 15 to 17. Following the review, the regulator concluded that anchors and journalists made statements containing personal assessments, thereby violating legislative requirements for impartiality and fair coverage of events, the commission stated.
The case concerns a violation of Article 54, Paragraph 5 of the Law on Broadcasting, which prohibits covering news and socio-political topics from the perspective of the broadcaster’s personal attitude or opinion, the agency noted.
“During the monitoring, instances were identified where journalists and anchors in news programs provided assessments of current political and social events that reflected the broadcaster’s personal attitude. The law prohibits the coverage of news and socio-political programs based on the personal opinion or position of the broadcaster, as well as presenting information on political confrontation and public policy issues from the broadcaster’s own point of view,” the statement said.
The commission also noted that over the past year, Formula had already been held liable twice for similar violations, having received a written warning and a fine of 2,500 lari.