Fighting for Free Media in Georgia. If freedom falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it…

Independent media in Georgia are in a critical situation. They face three pressures at once: political repression, financial collapse, and a propaganda campaign that brands them as enemies and foreign agents. Mzia Amaglobeli, one of the country's most respected journalists, remains in prison. Leading international press freedom organisations, among them RSF, CPJ and IPI, have repeatedly warned in joint statements that Georgia's independent media may not survive without urgent international support.

In a deeply polarised media landscape, objective and impartial reporting matters more than ever. People also need resources that help them cut through the constant flood of information and focus on what matters. Media literacy helps citizens recognise how propaganda and FIMI campaigns manipulate them. Above all, there is an urgent need for clear, positive narratives that break out of propaganda frames and set their own agenda.

Berlin, a city shaped by its own struggle for freedom and home to a large international media community, is the right place to raise these voices. Guests will hear first-hand about the latest developments in Georgia's media landscape. They will also hear how journalists find ways to keep working under the most difficult conditions.

Speakers: Zurab Vardiashvili (Director and Co-founder, PUBLIKA), Kristine Mujiri (Journalist), Zura Parjiani (Former diplomat and commentator), Shmagi Samkharadze (Digital creator and commentator). Moderation: Thomas Franke (tbc).

Organised by Georgisches Zentrum im Ausland e.V. in cooperation with the Pilecki Institute. The evening closes with a reception featuring Georgian dishes.

Admission is free; registration required.

Admission from 18:00.

Venue:
Pilecki-Institut
Pariser Platz 4a
10117 Berlin

Event on ground floor.