“Recent scandals related to USAID’s funding of liberal media worldwide reveal that this international network is actually spreading propaganda and essentially represents media funded by foreign governments,” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili shared on social media.

According to Papuashvili, the new U.S. administration has clearly indicated that foreign media grants were investments in a propaganda network.

“We learned that hundreds of media companies, non-governmental organizations, and thousands of journalists were directly funded by this international propaganda network created by these governments, which was established and used to reinforce desired narratives and suppress alternative viewpoints.

Dozens of Georgian media outlets are essentially activist NGOs that use social media to advocate certain political lines rather than reporting facts. Through agitation, but also through spreading disinformation and fake news, these media companies reinforce the narrative of the foreign propaganda network. They are created and funded solely for this purpose, though disguised as ‘independent’ and ‘private’ media. It’s noteworthy that the recent scandal regarding USAID and its propaganda funding has received minimal or no coverage in donor-controlled media.

The new U.S. administration has clearly indicated that foreign media grants were an investment in a propaganda network that covers only one side of the story not only in Georgia but also within America,” notes Papuashvili.

According to him, this harmful media practice manifested itself recently after the European Parliament adopted yet another resolution on Georgia.

“The resolution calls for sanctions against Georgian media owners. However, at the same time, the MEPs who initiated this resolution (McAllister, Gahler, Gheța, Zovko) are also members of the Board of Governors of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). In other words, these MEPs are trying to shut down media companies that don’t share their views and policies, while simultaneously funding their own propaganda media through EED (which is often called NED’s European branch). This, once again, exactly matches the example described by the new U.S. administration of the global propaganda network, which is now actively spread in Europe as well through the European Parliament and EED.

Yesterday’s post by the German Ambassador to Georgia on platform X is a good example of this interesting propaganda practice. According to him, the European Union is ‘preparing’ 1.8 billion euros for Moldova, implying that Georgia remains beyond this opportunity. Media funded by foreign governments (i.e., EED) widely covered this news without checking the ‘details.’ According to one ‘detail,’ out of the ‘prepared’ 1.8 billion euros, approximately 1.5 billion euros is a not-so-favourable loan that Moldova must repay to the EU with interest. Subsequently, this news was used by Georgia’s radical opposition to turn it into an inflated scandal, according to which the Georgian government supposedly ‘lost’ money gifted by the European Union.

Care for democracy should begin with telling the truth, and its driving force is truly free media.

Propaganda, even if presented through various channels, cannot enrich democracy. It’s astonishing to see what journalism has become lately. Foreign-funded media activists participate in anti-government protests, demand the government’s resignation or change, or even veto power over government decisions. Meanwhile, they continue reporting during the protests.

Activist journalism is simply an oxymoron. The ultimate loser is the citizen, who is deprived of the right to receive accurate news and instead hears diversified propaganda. Ultimately, this undermines democratic pluralism and becomes a malady that is already felt not only in Georgia but worldwide,” writes Papuashvili.