Studio Monitori
https://monitori.ge
Studio Monitori is an independent investigative studio producing investigations that expose systemic flaws, crimes, and injustices in Georgia. It aims to help citizens hold the government accountable.
Studio Monitori was established in 2005 by a group of investigative journalists who previously worked at Rustavi2's 60 Minutes, an investigative TV news programme with the highest audience ratings in Georgia. The programme was cancelled after Georgia's Rose Revolution and the United National Movement's rise to power.
By the end of 2006, Studio Monitori was producing independent investigations with the support of international donors. When Tbilisi TV stations refused to broadcast the programmes out of fear or loyalty to the government, Studio Monitor presented them in a cinema.
The first investigative film, Police Ride to Svaneti, resonated strongly. The film follows a high-ranking police officer, Erekle Kodua, who uses his position to commit a personal vendetta. The investigation was not aired on TV for five years, until 2012, when one of the channels agreed to broadcast it.
The topics of Studio Monitori's investigations include human rights violations, torture of prisoners in the penitentiary system, persecution of teachers on political grounds, violation of private property rights, control of the media by the government, and the plight of political prisoners.
The outlet currently creates bi-weekly investigative films published on the website, which are adapted for social media and also broadcasted on TV.
Its investigations have received numerous awards, including the Joshua Freedman and GIPA Award (eight times), the EU Prize for Journalism (seven times), and the Charter Prize (11 times).
Studio Monitor is a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).