Key Findings

Georgia has a liberal and progressive legal framework governing its media. The Constitution protects media freedom and access to public information is guaranteed.

However, that is only the surface.

The news media in Georgia operates in a highly polarized and politicized environment with regulators under the government’s thumb, the market concentrated in the hands of a few powerful groups, also close to politicians, and independent news outfits struggling to stay afloat.

The internet is far from providing the silver bullet for Georgia’s journalism, at least for now. Media consumption habits are hard to change. Not too many people would be open to pay for content; and even if they do, the market is too small to accommodate subscription-based business models in the news media.