Journalists Quit presa.ge

Salome Achba

Journalists quit the internet portal pressa.ge. The reason of quitting was named to be the assignment of the former journalist of Real TV Giorgi Kapanadze to the post of a director, according to the press conference held on December 20th.

The former employees of pressa.ge are requesting return of their domain which is under the ownership of Caucasus Internet Media Group now. Caucasus declines the request. Nino Japaridze, Levan Sepiskveradze, Nana Devdariani, Gia Iakobashvili, Rozi Jghamia, Gocha Jelia, Rusudan Mumladze – this is incomplete list of the former journalists of pressa.ge who will work on a new internet address www.presage.tv from now on.

The former editor-in-chief of pressa.ge Gia Iakobashvili spoke about the current issues with the journalists: “Pressa.ge was created in 2007. It worked independently for a year. In 2008, the former general director and creator of Caucasus Mamia Sanadiradze offered us to join the Caucasus Internet Media Group. We agreed to yield the whole advertisement space to Caucasus, thus the received money would transfer to Caucasus and they would pay the honorariums and salaries to pressa.ge employees. It was rather profitable offering for us at that time and we agreed on to join Caucasus Internet Media Group. In 2010 the leadership of Caucasus changed and everybody knows well that the current owners are close to government. The Internet Media Group was changed as well; the new general director of Caucasus Gia Adeishvili assigned the former journalist of Real TV Giorgi kapanadze to the post of the head of Media Group. I instantly called and warned him that he would not be able to influence and censor pressa.ge. He promised not to intervene in our work and it should be noted that he has not till now.”

The former employees of pressa.ge are requesting the return of domain that was transferred to Caucasus in 2007 according to the verbal agreement. The company is not going to give back the domain. The former deputy editor of the internet portal, journalist Rozi Jghamia states that Giorgi Kapanadze was offering them certain money in return of pressa.ge. This offer was declined since the creators of pressa.ge were not going to sell it.

“This is how they are fighting against the free word, but it is very hard to enslave those journalists who have been working in this sphere for a long time and maintained their inner freedom, unbiased attitude and objectivity,” – stated the journalist Rusudan Mumladze.

“I do not know why the employees decided to quit their job. This is their decision and I wish them success. Nobody has been dismissed by my initiative and I am not going to do it in future. I do not know for sure how many journalists left, but not too many, several people did,” – stated the head of Internet Media Group Giorgi Kapanadze to Interpressnews.

According to the former employees of pressa.ge, they will fight for restoration of justice and returning domain till the end. They are going to address the international organizations and embassies to introduce the case. Alongside, they are continuing their work in an usual manner, at a new internet address – www.presage.tv