PAATA VESHAPIDZE
provided for and feel at ease. The powers-that-be are also happy, and the oligarchy, which loses money on subsidizing a certain media, is in fact using this money to purchase the trust of the ruling circles. In fact, all are victims in this situation: •
the media suffer, because constant compromises make journalists resign to their fate, which is fatal professionally. Anyone who resists is fired. Unfortunately, examples are many;
•
business suffers, because unhealthy business relations become even more deeply entrenched;
•
the government suffers, because it loses a sense of reality;
•
and the main thing, the public suffers, because someone pays and someone takes the money to present black as white and vice versa, not to place critical materials, to ensure that people think identically, and so on.
In spite of the critical tone of my presentation, I am still inclined towards optimism, since this vicious circle has very weak links and the chain would be easy to break. Development of truly free enterprise will immediately change the situation; this is probably clear to all and does not need any clarifications on my part. In my opinion, this is currently the trend that Georgia is pursuing. Real competition has already emerged in the banking sphere and in the construction business, as a consequence of which advertisements have literally showered on us from these sectors, and this is cause for optimism. Equally important is an improvement in the investment climate in order to make major media holdings and publishing houses interested in investing
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