A new website GiveMeInfo has been launched in the Internet space. The goal of the web site is to make the flow of public information more open in Georgia.

The idea of the website belongs to Georgian journalist David Chaganava. Yet a year ago having presented the project he was named as the winner of the Social Innovation Camp Caucasus held in Tbilisi. Owing to the cash prize and thanks to the financial backing of the Open Society Georgia Foundation the website http://givemeinfo.ge was made possible.

The website content is being created by users themselves, the ones frequently requesting public information, in particular journalists and NGO representatives. Entering data is confidential. The application form on the response to the requested information requires answers to few questions.

The statistics posted on the website are divided into five main categories to detect irrelevant, ignored, incomplete, rejected, and lately responded request for public information.

Read More »Georgia: Website on Statistics of Public Information Provided by State Agencies

A new website GiveMeInfo has been launched in the Internet space. The goal of the web site is to make the flow of public information more open in Georgia.

The idea of the website belongs to Georgian journalist David Chaganava. Yet a year ago having presented the project he was named as the winner of the Social Innovation Camp Caucasus held in Tbilisi. Owing to the cash prize and thanks to the financial backing of the Open Society Georgia Foundation the website http://givemeinfo.ge was made possible.

The website content is being created by users themselves, the ones frequently requesting public information, in particular journalists and NGO representatives. Entering data is confidential. The application form on the response to the requested information requires answers to few questions.

The statistics posted on the website are divided into five main categories to detect irrelevant, ignored, incomplete, rejected, and lately responded request for public information.

Read More »Georgia: Website on Statistics of Public Information Provided by State Agencies

For the third time already, on March 25, the Freedom of Expression Day was marked in Gyumri with the initiative of the Journalists’ Club “Asparez”. Still in 2008 this day 26 million drams was collected for Gyumri based ‘Gala’ TV as a result of a telethon.

Such a telethon was needed after ‘Gala’ appeared under the unprecedented pressure of authorities in the form of fines and penalties determined by the tax bodies because of covering the opposition rallies. Due to a 5-day national donation held with joint efforts of ‘Asparez’ Club and ‘Gala’, the TV company could pay the fines and was saved from air deprivation.

4 journalists identified with their works were awarded during this year ceremony.

Read More »Video: March 25 – Freedom of Expression Day in Gyumri

Istanbul police conducted a search in the Irhaki Publishing House last night, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

The operation was launched after the police received reports that a book by Ahmet Shik, a journalist jailed recently over Ergenekon case, was going to be published.

After a search that lasted about seven hours, the police left the publishing house, not finding anything.

The director of the publishing house, Unal Kocan, expressed his astonishment over the incident.

“We don’t yet know whether or not we are going to publish the book. And the police were looking for Ahmet Shik’s book,” he said.

Earlier in March, the Turkish police detained ten individuals over Ergenekon case. Most of them were representative of mass media.

Journalists Nedim Shener and Ahmet Shik were among the detainees. Shener has published two books about the assassination of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos. Ahmet Shik conducted studies into the Ergenekon case. His book entitled “Imam Army” has raised interest among law enforcers. 

Source: http://www.tert.am

Read More »Turkish Authorities Ban Publication of Jailed Journalist’s Books

Pro-government Azeris living in Germany have severely beaten an Azeri journalist Fahraddin Hajibeyli. The Azadlig newspaper reports, the journalist who now is in hospital with two broken ribs said that the incident took place during the Novruz Bayram ceremony because of his publication in Azadlig concerning anti-Armenian protests in front of the Armenian embassy in Berlin last year.

“Azeris had planned a protest in front of the Armenian embassy. 4 organizations managed to bring together only 16-17 people. I criticized saying how many people it did for each organization if we divided 17 to 4, and asking how many organization would have been needed to gather 100-200 people. It was just a small sarcasm, and no offence. Organizations dealing with diaspora, reported Baku that they had had a mighty and glorious action and dishonored Armenians all over Europe,” said Hajibeyli.

He accused the Head of the Azerbaijan House in Germany Tofig Garaev in beatin him. “On the Novruz ceremony day he pushed me. Men standing with him attacked me and started kicking and hiting me,” the journalist said and added that he was going to sue the Head of Azerbaijan House.

Panorama.am

Read More »Azeri Living In Germany Sues The Head of The Azerbaijan House

The Turkish government played a role in helping free the Guardian journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad from prison in Libya, it has been disclosed.

Abdul-Ahad had been detained by the Libyan authorities for a fortnight after being picked up from the coastal town of Sabratha on 2 March, along with a Brazilian correspondent.

He was freed on Wednesday after the editor-in-chief of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, flew to Tripoli to help organise his release.

Rusbridger revealed on Thursday that the Turkish government, which is handling UK interests in Libya after the closure of the British embassy, had been actively involved in the negotiations to free Abdul-Ahad. It is believed the prime minister and president’s offices were involved in behind-the-scenes talks since the weekend, along with the foreign ministry. 

Source: The Guardian

Read More »Turkey Helps Free Guardian Journalist In Libya

Daily Taraf has become the first Turkish partner of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, joining internationally known publications in signing a contract to publish the site’s leaked documents firsthand.

The Turkish daily was picked by WikiLeaks because it is “the bravest newspaper in Turkey,” as described by the site’s founder, Julian Assange.

Taraf will begin publishing Thursday the 11,000 documents it has received regarding Turkey from the era between 2000 and 2010.

According to chief editor Ahmet Altan’s column Wednesday, the documents feature content regarding religious leader Fethullah Gülen, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, the alleged Ergenekon gang, the alleged coup plot codenamed “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer), the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and many other secrets.

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/

Read More »Turkish newspaper Taraf signs contract with WikiLeaks

Interview with the “Chaskor” editor Ivan Zassoursky took place in Aghveran city, Armenia, where he, as an expert, conducted the new media workshop for Armenian journalists. The interview touched changes related to transformations of the traditional media.

Question: You are famous as a reporter, blogger and an expert in the new media. How will you present yourself?

Answer: Just a journalist.

Q: Anyway, do you deal with blogging?

A: The thing that I comment or post on Facebook, doesn’t at all mean that I am a blogger. Today everybody is on Facebook. I have a blog on Lifejournal, but I use it rather for the posters of my newspaper articles. 

Q: What is the journalist’s role in the free new media environment?

Read More »Media Maestro: Editor of “Chaskor” as an Exclusive Specialist

The Russian-speaking TV channel PIK (Первый информационный кавказский) broadcasted from Tbilisi is interested in cooperation with TV producers, directors and journalists from Armenia. During the presentation of the channel and pik.tv web-site in Yerevan, the director of the channel Robert Parsons said that the broadcasting aims to introduce the Caucasus to the foreign audience, and to fill the information gap about neighboring countries in the region itself.

The head office of the channel is in Tbilisi, but “it is not a Georgian television, though we broadcast from Georgia. Our channel is Caucasian,” assures Parsons.

The Caucasian channel has its own correspondent in Armenia, and there are several representatives of Armenian Diaspora in Georgia working at the channel.

PIK is the successor of the “First Caucasian Channel”. PIK started broadcasting at the end of January 2011. By the decision of the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, in July 2010 the channel managemet was handed to “K-1” Ltd., founders of which are Robert Parsons (former BBC correspondent) and Yekatirina Kotrikadze.

Read More »PIK in Armenia. New TV Channel Intends to Fill the Information Gap in Caucasus

On March 15 journalist Nino Kakhishvili of the online edition Netgazeti was restricted to film the first lady of Georgia Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs having conducted a lesson for primary class pupils at Tbilisi Public School №1on the healthy way of life. Moreover, Netgazeti reports, an unidentified person deleted the part of the footage featuring the interview with Sandra Roelofs journalist Nino Kakhishvili managed to obtain earlier.

“Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs started reporting to media on the importance of healthy school. Along with the rest of the TV cameras Netgazeti too filmed the interview with the first lady of Georgia but in a short while several unidentified persons first restricted us to close up Sandra Roelofs and then filming,” said Nino Kakhishvili reporting on Netgazeti.

The first lady’s attendants clarified the reason for the restriction, the invitation list for the event, they said, included televisions only. But the Ministry of Education and Science provided Netgazeti with the announcement on the evening of March 14, writes the journalist.

Nino Kakhishvili was denied entry to the classroom Sandra Roelofs was giving a lesson in. Neither the visit of Catholicos Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II to discuss the healthy way of life was of any help.

Read More »Netgazeti Journalist Restricted to Film First Lady of Georgia