First Channel is and will be fully independent and will not be under control of anybody – Vasil Maghlaperidze, General Director of First Channel said during the meeting held today.

Politicians Jondi Baghaturia, Guram Palavandishvili, Dimitri Lortkipanidze and their supporters held a protest at First Channel earlier this afternoon. Protesters demanded that Public Broadcaster covered activities, which are organized against the signed pact about migration. The organizers of the protest then met with General Director and management of First Channel.

Baghaturia claimed that liberal position was voiced on First Channel and conservative standpoint was disregarded. Palavandishvili said that broadcast programming was focused on the western course and that represented certain propaganda.

In response, Vasil Maghlaperidze underlined that First Channel had the claim to cover all viewpoints, thoughts, and pains facing the public but would not be under control of anybody.

“Any society is characterized by the wish to have an influence on something and we often experience attacks in that regard. We pay attention to these attacks because we can benefit even from harsh criticism,” Maghlaperidze claimed.