Ivanishvili invents new form of communication with journalists

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili has many times said that he doesn’t think he is a politician, doesn’t like politics and doesn’t enjoy power. His words were proved by his decision to leave politics right after the presidential elections on October 27th. “I'm don’t leaving, but shifting to society to influence social processes,” the billionaire says. From this point of view, his form of communication with the most powerful social groups, which Ivanishvili has chosen several weeks ahead of leaving politics, is unclear.

Recently he met the most in demand experts, brought a list of their negative statements and came to political scientists for their views and estimates. The Premier invited to the meeting those experts who were thought to be members of his team, but it was strange that he decided to broadcast “the blow-up” on air.

The more surprising thing was that the head of the government decided to hold a similar meeting with journalists and invited authors of popular talk-shows to his “glass palace”, his private residence. The meeting was broadcast for almost four hours. Ivanishvili held sheets of paper where comments of journalists were written and strictly asked them “why did they say this?”, “why didn’t they comment on this or that comment by a guest of their studio?”, “why didn’t they check information in state structures?” and so on. Journalists didn’t look dejected and stood up for their positions, having no fear before the prime minister. When Ivanishvili blamed the anchor of Big Politics talk show of TV3 Channel, Inga Grigolia, for her wrong presentation of events on the Georgian-South Ossetian border where Russian frountier guards installed obstacles and that in fact his ministers visited the place setting and didn’t show carelessness (as Grigolia stated), the journalists defended their colleague and proved that members of the government didn’t visit the center of the developments – Dvani Village.

“Mr. Premier, who prepares information on the mass media for you? Did you watch the show, if you publicly blame us?” journalists asked the prime minister acridly. Ivanishvili debated with them, sometimes overreacted and admitted his mistake, but in general promoted the idea that Georgian journalists were not professionals and didn’t know journalist ethics.

At first the unique show was broadcasted for the whole country through several channels, but soon TV companies interrupted the meeting and returned to a normal program net, showing that they found behavior of the Premier incorrect.

Even the most active supporters of Ivanishvili cannot hide bewilderment – why he needs this, when social preferences will be given to journalists, rather than the authorities in any way. Why the chairman of the government provides an emotional debate which damages an image of the authorities. Any politician who decides to punish the mass media can find other measures of influence. The billionaire has a lot of such measures, but nobody could ever accuse him of using them and suppressing the freedom of speech.