On November 1, the Facebook page of the TV company POSTV, “POSTV – Analytics,” along with the page “It’s Time for the Truth,” published footage from the rally held on Rustaveli Avenue that same day. The post displayed a split-screen comparison: on the left, a video taken from above showing a smaller crowd in front of the parliament, labeled “Reality,” and on the right, a screenshot of the same rally from TV Pirveli’s news program, labeled “TV Pirveli.” The video on the left, depicting a smaller gathering, creates the impression that TV Pirveli is exaggerating the size of the rally.
POSTV manipulates the footage to suggest that TV Pirveli is attempting to conceal the low turnout at the rally on Rustaveli Avenue on November 11. In reality, the compared shots were captured at different times, with more people joining the protest later. TV Pirveli accurately reflected the number of attendees present at the time of their broadcast.
Both shots featured in the Facebook posts capture the rally held in front of the Georgian Parliament on November 11, but they were taken at different times.
The image on the right does indeed belong to TV Pirveli. The screenshot features Giorgi Butikashvili, a member of the “Coalition for Changes.” This segment was part of TV Pirveli’s live broadcast, which began at 7:21 PM (1, 2). During the same broadcast, the channel also aired another shot of the rally, showing the crowd gathered in front of the Parliament.
The abovementioned footage shows that the area in front of the Parliament is relatively full, and it is also evident that traffic is still moving behind the crowd, indicating that Rustaveli Avenue had not yet been blocked.
Before Giorgi Butikashvili’s appearance, TV Pirveli journalist Mariam Makasarashvili was seen moving among the rally participants. This footage provides a clearer picture of the crowd size. By 7:19 PM, people had filled the space between the greenery in front of the Parliament and the avenue, with some standing on the opposite side of the road, near the Magti multifunctional complex.
This crowd size is depicted in the live broadcast of Mtavari Arkhi TV. At 7:16 PM, the footage shows that rally participants had occupied the area in front of the Parliament, though Rustaveli Avenue had not yet been blocked.
Regarding the footage on the left in the video disseminated on Facebook, the exact time of its recording is unknown. However, an analysis of various frames suggests that it was captured relatively early, at the start of the rally, when only a few dozen people had gathered in front of the Parliament.
It is worth noting that the number of rally participants grew significantly over time. By 7:23 PM, rally participants began moving onto Rustaveli Avenue, and within minutes, traffic on the avenue was completely blocked. The number of participants peaked around 8:46 PM, coinciding with the arrival of European politicians visiting Georgia who joined the rally.
Thus, the disseminated Facebook posts manipulate footage from TV Pirveli to create the false impression that the channel is misrepresenting the number of rally participants.
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