The Development Tendencies of Investigative Journalism in Georgia

ანოტაცია

The aim of the research is to study the development trends of investigative journalism in Georgia. During the research, six experts related to investigative journalism were interviewed using the semi-structured interview method. The data were analyzed using the quantitative method of content analysis.  Accoridng to the results of the Research journalistic investigations are no longer produced  and published in online Media in Georgia.  Investigative journalists teams on so-called opposition TV channels often produce revealing stories, although their credibility and quality are in doubt. Nevertheless, the existence of opposition television stations is crucial for maintaining a pluralistic media environment and monitoring  the Governemnt. There are only few Media organizations in Georgia that are free from the influence of political and financial groups and prepare journalistic investigations. Most of these small organizations are concentrated in the capital, while the regions suffer from a shortage of investigative journalistic materials. The main reasons for the weakening of investigative journalism are the lack of financial and human resources, the recruitment and outflow of already scarce journalistic personnel in government agencies and commercial institutions, the change of media landscape - due to the development of digital technologies newsrooms prefer  short, descriptive and fast coverage of shalow facts. Maintaining the status quo in the long run can undermine the impartial and influential journalistic investigation in Georgia, which will be detrimental to the media environment and the democratic process as a whole.