Caucasus: Jan ‘09

IWPR brought together journalists from all across the Caucasus to seek ways of improving ties between them, in the first such meeting since the Russia-Georgia war.



The seminar, Media and Conflict in the Caucasus, was held in Kiev, Ukraine on January 27-29 and organised by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and International Media Support. Some 20 journalists and editors attended, representing media outlets from the South and North Caucasus.



The workshop was organised as a part of the Cross Caucasus Journalism Network Project, a three-year programme funded by the European Union.



Journalists said they were pleased that their cooperation had not been affected by the August war, when Russia helped drive Georgian forces out of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and recognised their independence.



“I was actually a bit worried before I went to Kiev because this was my first meeting with Georgian journalists since the war. I thought that we could not find a common language but it turned out to be very productive,” said Anaid Gogoryan, a journalist from the Abkhazian newspaper Chegemskaya Pravda.



“The most important thing about the seminar was that we now have an opportunity to continue our cooperation across the borders,” she said, in words echoed by colleagues from Tbilisi.



”To be honest, when I came to the workshop I was worried, because I was not sure if I could cope with my Abkhaz and Ossetian colleagues,” said Malkhaz Gagua, a journalist from the Resonance newspaper in Tbilisi.



The seminar featured three round-table discussions, centred on three themes: media freedom in the Caucasus, coverage of conflicts and ethnic/religious issues.



Participants regretted that media outlets often referred to people on the opposite sides of the ceasefire lines as enemies, thereby keeping the situation tense.



“Almost all media in the region are given to hostile rhetoric and rash statements, which adds fuel to conflicts,” said Murat Gukemukhov, a freelance journalist from the North Caucasus.



“I think that this seminar and others of the kind to come will help us find a common language and agree more or less acceptable terminology.”



Editors discussed how they covered the conflict in Georgia, their countries and other regions, and what difficulties they had faced. The journalists worked in very dangerous conditions, while a lack of experience in how to work in conflict zones undermined their safety. Extensive government propaganda was also reflected in how the war was covered.



“Very often in articles, Abkhaz government officials are referred to as ‘Abkhaz aggressors’ or as ‘leaders of Abkhaz criminal gangs’,” said Zurab Argun, an editor of Abkhazian TV station Abaza TV.



The participating journalists said they could only report from one side of the conflict, and they agreed to cooperate in future with colleagues on the other side of the lines.



For example, participants discussed a joint article by Georgian and Ossetian authors entitled How the War in Georgia started, which was published by the Caucasus Reporting Service and which was the first article analysing the beginning of the conflict. It was cited by several international publications.



“I think these sorts of articles are interesting for everybody,” said Andrey Tadtaev, an editor from South Ossetia’s Osimform, winning agreement from a Georgian counterpart.



“When the article is written right from the place where the fact happens, it is always reliable,” said Paata Veshapidze, editor in chief of the Georgian newspaper 24 Saati.



Most of the editors said they were ready to print such articles in their newspapers, and they discussed themes for further issues. They also said they needed to increase collaboration when organising trips to the conflict zones, and exchanged contact details to help joint projects in future.



“A seminar like this is very important because so many different people are gathered. I think it is especially important to meet people from the other side of a conflict,” said Lillit Asryan, a journalist from Nagorny Karabakh, which is claimed by Azerbaijan but ruled by Armenians.



“For me it was important to talk to the Azerbaijani participants. People from my generation have never lived side by side with Azeris and many young people therefore have a stereotypical stance towards them because they don’t know them. If we meet more people from Azerbaijan we can break down these stereotypes.”



During the discussion, the editors received reports on the state of the media in their regions and countries. The main weaknesses identified were insufficient funding and pressure from the governments.



“In the North Caucasus the most independent is the Dagestani media, but journalists are killed in Dagestan. Several cases have happened recently. The situation in media organisations in Chechnya and Ingushetia is even worse. Journalists in other republics of the North Caucasus daily face difficulties in their jobs,” said Alan Tskhurbaev, a journalist from Vladikavkaz in the Russian region of North Ossetia.



The reports said that the governments in the Caucasus were putting direct pressure on both editors and journalists, and that broadcasters had had their broadcasting licenses suspended, and had had problems with advertisers, who were reluctant to place advertisements with non-governmental outlets.



“Almost every big company in Azerbaijan either belongs or is connected to the government, that’s why opposition publications have few advertisements,” said Layla Amirova, an editor of Izvestia in Azerbaijan.



The position was similar all across the region.



“The most popular television station in Armenia, A1, had its broadcasting license suspended, and it can only apply for a new one in two years’ time. It’s clear that the television station is not going to broadcast during this period,” said Karen Harutunyan, editor-in-chief of the Capital newspaper in Armenia.



During the workshop, participants met Ukrainian experts and visited one of the biggest and most popular newspapers in Ukraine Zerkalo nedeli as well as the independent TV station TV5.