“Gavrilov’s Night” seen through the lenses of “Sputnik”
Coverage of the visit of Russian Duma deputy and Communist Party member Sergey Gavrilov and the events of the night of June 20 on Georgian, international, Ossetian, and Abkhazian Sputnik.
BY MARIAM TALAKHADZE
MYTH DETECTOR LABORATORY
The protest of the 20th of June 2019 was sparked by Communist Party and Russian Duma member Sergey Gavrilov being invited to address parliament from the seat of the head of the Georgian Parliament during his visit to attend the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. In addition to taking the chair of the parliament chairman, Gavrilov addressed the audience in Russian. Angered by this incident, Georgian opposition leaders and civic activists gathered in front of the parliament and condemned the Russian delegation's presence in the Georgian parliament. Thousands of people joined the demonstration with anti-occupation posters. Later that night, a group of protesters tried to storm the parliament building. Riot police used rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons during clashes against protesters. 3 people lost their eyes after getting shot with rubber bullets. More than 200 people, including 30 journalists were injured. |
Russian state-owned news agency "Sputnik" runs in 30 languages, in addition to Georgian Sputnik, there are also Ossetian and Abkhazian versions of Sputnik. Considering that Sputnik reflects Kremlin narratives while covering stories, it is compelling how they covered Gavrilov's visit to Georgia and the following wave of protests that continued for more than 3 months. By analyzing the news terminology, respondents, headlines, and specific narratives used in 216 materials published during the period of June 20-26, it was possible to identify the main trends that accompanied the coverage of this event. 4 websites of Sputnik were selected as research objects: Sputnik Georgia, Sputnik International, Sputnik Abkhazia, and Sputnik Ossetia. |
THE FORM AND CONTENT OF SPUTNIK'S ARTICLES
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The first news story about Gavrilov's visit was published on "Sputnik Georgia" with the following headline: "The opposition disrupted the session of the Orthodox Assembly because of the deputy of the Russian State Duma."
It is mentioned in the news that some opposition leaders also used obscene words in the address of the Russian delegation.
It is mentioned in the news that some opposition leaders also used obscene words in the address of the Russian delegation.
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"After the break, MPs from the parties "United National Movement" and "European Georgia - Movement for Freedom" occupied the area behind the tribune of the praesidium, organized a noisy rally and promised that Gavrilov would not appear there again. The oppositionists accused the government of all this." - We read in the news.
On all platforms, Sputnik focused on the guilt of the opposition since the beginning of the coverage of the event.
"The opposition raised a big wave of protest after the deputy of the Russian State Duma, member of the Communist Party, Sergey Gavrilov, found himself in the chair of the chairman of the Georgian Parliament" - Sputnik used this phrase as a kind of background in several materials that were published on the website on June 20-21.
"The opposition raised a big wave of protest after the deputy of the Russian State Duma, member of the Communist Party, Sergey Gavrilov, found himself in the chair of the chairman of the Georgian Parliament" - Sputnik used this phrase as a kind of background in several materials that were published on the website on June 20-21.
No material was published on any platform that showed the other side - the position of civil activists and the reason for the protest. Sputnik did not mention the term "occupation" in any of its material. Russian state-owned news agency labelled the rally with such terms as "anti-Russian" and "anti-government":
"On the night of June 21, the anti-Russian demonstration turned into riots and anti-government rallies," we read in one of the news reports.
"On the night of June 21, the anti-Russian demonstration turned into riots and anti-government rallies," we read in one of the news reports.
RUSSIAN POLITICIANS - REGULAR RESPONDENTS OF "SPUTNIK GEORGIA"
As for all other media, one of the ways for Sputnik to express its editorial policy is to choose specific respondents. Sputnik actively published comments from Russian politicians about the course of events. One of the most important components of discussing the editorial policy of a media outlet is who it gives the arena to express its opinion. "Sputnik Georgia" mostly devoted its platform to Russian politicians and members of the ruling party, "Georgian Dream". There is almost no material in which the view of the opposition parties is designated in the form of comments by any of their members.
One of the Russian politicians whose comment was included in Georgian, Abkhazian, and international Sputnik is Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. Zakharova called the incident a "nightmarish provocation" and noted that Sergey Gavrilov came to Georgia "by invitation and for peaceful purposes" and he never took part in any anti-Georgian activities.
Another Russian politician whose statement was also published by Georgian and Abkhazian Sputnik is Dmitry Peskov. The press secretary of the Russian President called the incident a "Russophobic provocation" arranged by "extremist elements" and noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was recommended to warn Russian citizens, including tourists, about the possible dangers arising from the actions of extremists in Georgia.
"Sputnik Georgia" also published Sergey Gavrilov's explanation. Gavrilov noted that the disruption of the international session of Orthodoxy in Tbilisi was a pre-planned action aimed at worsening relations with Russia. According to him, the riots in Tbilisi were intended to strike the ruling party. The Duma deputy noted that the protesters had pre-prepared posters and slogans and the assembly session was simply used as an excuse to start the rallies.
RUSSIAN TOURISTS - THE MAIN SOURCE OF GEORGIAN TOURISM
Sputnik did not miss the issue of Russian tourists either. Regarding the ban on flights from Russia, the agency published not only news but also several analytical materials. One such article, entitled "How much will Georgia lose due to Russian restrictions", describes the estimated loss that will be caused to the Georgian economy after losing Russian tourists. "The government should develop a strategy to maintain the Russian market" - is emphasized in the material.
Most of the materials prepared about this topic focused on how "unsafe" Georgia is for Russians. The agency has published the statement by "Rostourism", which advises travel agencies to stop tours in Georgia.
According to information warfare researcher Davit Dzidzishvili, Sputnik tries to focus on local content, thus it manages to attract a certain number of viewers. According to him, Sputnik uses classic methods of propaganda, such as mixing truth with lies.
According to Dzidzishvili, during the coverage of the events of June 20, the attention of not only Sputnik but also other Russian-funded media outlets was directed towards Georgia, and this showed Russia's interest in finding out how effective its propaganda is in Georgia.
The researcher emphasizes that on Radio Sputnik which operates on the South Ossetian frequency the events taking place in Georgia were labelled a "Russophobic provocation" and the discrediting of activists was ongoing.
According to Dzidzishvili, during the coverage of the events of June 20, the attention of not only Sputnik but also other Russian-funded media outlets was directed towards Georgia, and this showed Russia's interest in finding out how effective its propaganda is in Georgia.
The researcher emphasizes that on Radio Sputnik which operates on the South Ossetian frequency the events taking place in Georgia were labelled a "Russophobic provocation" and the discrediting of activists was ongoing.
SECONDARY STORY - COVERAGE OF THE EVENT ON ABKHAZIAN AND OSSETIAN SPUTNIK
Ossetian and Abkhazian Sputnik were limited to publishing only general information about Gavrilov's visit to Georgia and following protests. Abkhazian Sputnik dedicated 5 and Ossetian only 3 pieces to this topic.
On both Ossetian and Abkhazian Sputnik, more emphasis was placed not on the protest wave and injured people, but on Vladimir Putin banning flights to Georgia. Abkhazian Sputnik published a material entitled "Why did Putin close air travel with Georgia'' (Почему Путин закрыл авиасообщение с Грузией), the extensive article explains the position of the Russian president and focuses on the current events in Georgia, which may be dangerous for Russian citizens.
One of the materials of Sputnik Ossetia has a manipulative headline, it states that the riots in Tbilisi break out because of the Orthodox forum (В Тбилиси начались беспорядки из-за православного форума). The headline does not mention Gavrilov and presents Orthodox Forum as the cause of the unrest to the reader.
In conclusion, it can be said that Sputnik's coverage of the events of June 20 revealed several main trends:
- 1Coverage of the event from a pro-Russian point of viewSputnik used the term "anti-Russian" to describe the demonstrations. Sputnik portrayed the protest wave as a provocation directed against Russia, not a protest of the Georgian people against the Russian occupation, and not only that.
- 2Frequent use of comments from Russian politicians in journalistic materialsNeedless to say, when covering this particular event, no media could ignore the statements of Russian politicians, although Sputnik published not only the comments of the high officials of Russia but also the comments of other less important politicians.
- 3Low interest of Ossetian and Abkhazian SputnikOssetian and Abkhazian Sputnik considered this event in Georgia secondary and covered it superficially.
