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Journalists Speak about Difficulties in Obtaining Information from Public Offices

December 2, 2005

Journalists Speak about Difficulties in Obtaining Information from Public Offices
 

Correspondent of radio station “Fortuna” Eka Saatashvili says that journalists have to use “personal contacts” in order to get information from the State Chancellery and Parliament.
 
According to the director of news agency “Prime News” Demna Chagelishvili, the public offices’ press centers either give nondescript pieces of news or no information at all. It is very hard for this news agency to deal with the President’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs’, Ministry of Defense’s and Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press centers. The situation in the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education is relatively better. The General Prosecutor’s Office also gives out public information. As for the National Bank, according to Demna Chagelishvili, his agency has had no problems with getting information from it.
 
According to the head of news agency “News-Georgia” Aliona Imedashvili, acquiring public information in Georgia has become an insurmountable problem.
 
Head of the Parliament’s Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee Elene Tevdoradze urges journalists to sue any public office that tries to hide public information.
 
According to Tevdoradze, the General Administrative Code says that a citizen is entitled to receive public information within 10 days from application. In case the public office refuses to do so, the citizen can apply to court. She finds that journalists do not use that right, and after they fail to get the necessary information, they write their articles and prepare their stories based on hearsay. Officials have to think about that too, because by refusing to give out public information they encourage inaccurate reporting.
 
According to David Zurabishvili, leader of the Parliament’s oppositional faction ‘Democratic Front’, the violations of law regarding provision of public information have become too frequent. He thinks the journalists should not be passive. They have to apply to court because, as he believes, the more scandal surrounds this issue, the better.


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