Georgia: Tv Channel Slanders Journalist Tatia Samkharadze – Smear Campaign Must End
Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Date: March 29, 2023
Pro-government TV channel, POSTV, spreads fake news concerning journalist Tatia Samkharadze who successfully sued its director for sexual harassment. The smear campaign follows a recent slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Ramishvili. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands POSTV stop harassing and discrediting journalists. Media should not be weaponized to target victims of sexual harassment and protect their abusers.
On March 25, Tatia Samkharadze shared how pro-government TV network POSTV broadcasted fabricated stories to discredit her and protect its director Shalva Ramishvili from recent sexual harassment allegations.
The channel reported opposition party member Dimitri Chikovani had abducted Samkharadze. Police searched Chikovani’s house following the broadcast. “
POSTV additionally accused Samkharadze of taking bribes from opposition parties to organize a campaign against Ramishvili.
“To discredit me with such dirty methods is the ugliest practice of slander,” she said.
Samkharadze says the TV station continues their harassment by staking outside her house requesting a “comment.”
Sexual harassment allegations
Recently, numerous women have accused Ramishvili of sexual harassment. Mako Jabua, a journalist at Tabula, posted a description of her encounter with Ramishvili on Facebook, which included unwanted advances and playing pornography during a job interview. Ramishvili denied the allegations.
Journalist successfully sues Ramishvili
In 2018, Samkharadze won the country’s first sexual harassment case against Ramishvili. Samkharadze said her career ended when she took Ramishvili to court, but the latest attacks on her person will not deter her continuous fight.
“I am determined to follow through with the process and re-set a precedent for an uncompromising fight against an oppressive system,” Samkharadze wrote in a Facebook post.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism vehemently condemns the slander attempts against Tatia Samkharadze. Weaponizing a media platform to target a woman brave enough to confront her abuser is despicable. POSTV must cease harassing Samkharadze and investigate allegations against its director instead.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.