Employees of Georgian TV Company "Maestro" resign for lack of guarantees of independent work

The reason for resignation of about twenty employees of the Georgian TV Company "Maestro" was the invitation to work by company bosses of Koki Kandiashvili, an employee of the Government Administration, and the absence of guarantees of free editorial policy.

Let us remind you that on December 21 "Maestro" bosses dismissed Nino Zhizhilashvili, a deputy director of the company and a leading journalist of the main news programme. Thereafter, on December 22, up to 20 employees of the company – producers, editors and journalists – resigned.

According to Gigi Gagua, an editor of the newscast, he resigned, because he had not received guarantees of independent work. "I have no guarantee that I'll work independently; moreover, I worked as an editor of the foreign block. It's unacceptable for me that Koka Kandiashvili will dictate what and in what dose I should cover and what accents I should make," said Gagua.

In her turn, Baya Gadabadze, Director General of the "Maestro", said that there were no requirements as to pursuing any certain policy in information issues of the TV Company.

"I had a meeting in the 'newsroom', where I said that I am the guarantor of editorial independence, and that in no case no new employee, including Koka Kandiashvili, will interfere. However, they hurried up to make their decisions and resigned on the basis of their suspicions," said Gadabadze.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.