Rustavi 2 (, "Rustavi ori") is a Georgian free-to-air television channel based in Tbilisi, that was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi (hence its name).

It is an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union. Its news service has bureaus and regional reporters in major Georgian cities (Kutaisi, Batumi, Gori, Poti, Zugdidi), as well as permanent correspondents in Washington, D.C., Brussels and Moscow. The independence of the channel was questioned recently, with many suggesting that it was biased in favor of the former ruling party UNM, and recently in favor of the current ruling party Georgian Dream.

History

It was formed in 1994 and had been in a strong opposition to Eduard Shevardnadze’s government since then. At launch (the channel opened on 1 June 1994) it was owned by Right-Wing Opposition figure Pikria Chikhradze and some of his friends, who obtained the license to broadcast on VHF channel 12 in Rustavi, hence the name. The channel shut down due to allegedly losing its license a year later. Broadcasts restarted in 1996 in Tbilisi, which explains why the channel is known as Rustavi 2.

On 2 March 2017, the Supreme Court of Georgia declared that the owners of the company were Kibar Khalvashi (60% shares) and Panorama Ltd. (40% shares). On 3 March the company submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, which, in its turn, on 4 March 2017 suspended the Supreme Court decision until 8 March and requested additional documentation. On 18 July 2019, the European Court of Human Rights found no violation by the Georgian courts in the Rustavi 2 case which lifted the suspension mechanism, thus returning the company to its owner, Kibar Khalvashi.

Perception of bias

From February 2012 – August 2014, the National Democratic Institute conducted polls which included a question about which media organizations represented the interest of which political factions. A plurality of respondents in each case believed that Rustavi 2 represented the United National Movement (or, in the case of the February 2012 poll, the government, which was at the time controlled by the UNM). The results of the polls which asked this question is summarized below.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Percent of respondents who believe that Rustavi 2 represents the interests of a political faction

|-

! Date !! Represents UNM !! Neither/None !! Don't Know !! Other

|-

| || 69% (Government) || 8% || 21% || 2%

|-

| || 58% || 13% || 25% || 4%

|-

| || 47% || 15% || 32% || 6%

|-

| || 47% || 24% || 24% || 4%

|-

| || 39% || 29% || 26% || 6%

|-

| || 46% || 22% || 28% || 4%

|-

| || 42% || 20% || 35% || 3%

|}

According to Rustavi 2 statement on Self-regulation, an interested person who believes that "Rustavi 2" has violated any ethical standards established by the "Code of Conduct of Broadcasters" and his rights, can appeal to the broadcaster with a complaint and demand a response.

References

  • Rustavi 2 official website
  • Rustavi 2 Live
  • Rustavi 2 on YouTube