On the morning of August 3, Facebook removed the page of the Georgian investigative media platform “Studio Monitor,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian service reported. According to a notice published by journalist Marika Dudunia, Meta attributed the block to alleged copyright infringement. The editorial team rejects the accusation.
This is the third such incident in the past month.
On July 25, Monitor’s YouTube channel was taken down, though it was later restored. At that time, the platform was also faced with copyright infringement claims regarding several investigative reports; however, according to the newsroom, it was not specified which exact publications were involved.
Even earlier, on July 1, following the publication of an investigation into Trump Tower, Monitor reported a coordinated campaign of complaints against reports on potential ties between Georgian construction companies and a network of unlicensed online casinos. At the time, the editorial team stated that Meta had removed some of the published materials as a result of the attack.
Nino Zuriashvili, Board Chair and Editor-in-Chief of Studio Monitor, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the newsroom is doing everything possible to restore the page as quickly as possible with the support of international partners.
“This is a new method of targeting us. I am confident that the people behind this are those who are the subjects of our journalistic investigations,” Zuriashvili stated.
The last investigation preview posted on Monitor’s page was published on July 31 and concerned the operations of fraudulent call centers. The newsroom reported that the new investigation focuses on a scheme that victimized more than 6,000 people, causing an estimated $35 million in damages. Despite an investigation having been launched, journalists claim that the fraudulent activity continues.
Studio Monitor was founded on December 14, 2005. Over its years of operation, the newsroom has produced several hundred investigative reports and analytical features, many of which have been recognized with professional awards.
