GMF25: Tamar Kintsurashvili receives Freedom of Speech Award
The award ceremony was streamed live on YouTube . Photos from the ceremony available here .
In her laudation for Tamar Kintsurashvili, Anja Osterhaus (Reporters Without Borders) highlighted the courage required to expose disinformation in Georgia today. "Tamar stands as a resolute champion of independent journalism. She defends the truth and the public's right to be informed, arming the next generation with the tools needed to navigate the complex media landscape. Her organization is a cornerstone for credible information and media literacy and is an enormous contribution to press freedom. And for this contribution, Tamar pays a high price. Her dedication embodies the very values this award embodies. She is a voice for those at risk to be silenced. Her work represents the invincible spirit of journalism under fire. Tamar, you give truth a face and many a voice."
Kintsurashvili, executive director and editor-in-chief of the Media Development Foundation and fact-checking platform Myth Detector, has been a leading voice exposing corruption and strengthening independent journalism in Georgia. She has dedicated herself to educating young people and journalists alike about the dangers of disinformation and the importance of a free press.
Accepting the award, Kintsurashvili expressed solidarity with her colleagues and the broader pro-democracy movement in Georgia: "This honor is not mine alone; it belongs to a team of professional journalists, fact-checkers, and disinformation researchers who are on the front line of hybrid warfare," she said. "It also belongs to all freedom fighters in Georgia who believe in free society and liberal democracy and have been protesting for more than seven months, since the government announced the decision to postpone EU accession talks until 2028."
Georgia has seen growing pressure on media freedom following disputed elections in 2024 and new restrictive media laws in 2025 that limit foreign funding and increase state oversight. International watchdogs warn these moves threaten the independence of the press and free expression. Kintsurashvili described the disturbing escalation of threats and harassment since the passing of the Foreign Agent Law: "It coincided with a wave of intimidation: threatening phone calls to us and our family members, also abusive emails, including rape threats, against fact-checkers after the elections. None of these cases have been investigated by law enforcement bodies, which clearly illustrates the intentions behind the new laws and further proves that institutions are not protecting us from state-orchestrated brutalities."
She highlighted the cost of accountability in an increasingly hostile political climate: "The only 'crime' I and my colleagues commit is … holding the government accountable in order to ensure the basic principle of democracy. Publicly criticizing the government and receiving Western funding for research, education, resilience building and empowering the public by informing them are considered crimes only in dictatorships and autocracies."
She ended with a call for resilience and unity: "I strongly believe that through our united efforts and consistent actions, we can safeguard democracy and resist the creeping authoritarianism that seeks to silence us."
This is the 11th occasion on which DW has bestowed the award, honoring outstanding commitment to human rights and, above all, the defense of free expression. The DW Freedom of Speech Award recognizes those who courageously stand up for press freedom in the face of adversity worldwide. Second from left: Anja Osterhaus (Reporters Without Borders) delivers the laudatory speech for awardee Tamar Kintsurashvili (second from right) Image: Florian Görner/DW GMF panel: International broadcasters rethink reach amid funding challenges
Ahead of the award ceremony, leaders from BBC, DW, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) addressed the impact of international funding cuts – most notably to the USAGM program – which have jeopardized RFE/RL's future and led to large-scale layoffs at Voice of America (VOA), with ripple effects across independent media ecosystems worldwide.
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus addressed the direct fallout of the USAGM funding cuts on his organization, calling for new strategies to work around these financial limitations and continue reaching audiences behind censorship and firewalls. "The forces we're facing are something we're all going to be grappling with. We intend to survive, we tend to find ways to diversify our funding. We do not intend to yield any ground," he said.
Joining the panel discussion, Senegalese journalist and Founder & Editor of E-jicom / Ouestaf News, Hamdou Tidiane Sy, emphasized the need for global support for independent journalism. "Journalists are taught not to be advocates, but I think that is working against us. We need advocates for free media around the world. We need advocacy for journalism globally," he said.
TVP World Director Michał Broniatowski added: "Radio Free Europe was like oxygen; it was like fresh air. You needed this radio to get real news, facts. Without it, you'd be in darkness."
Jonathan Munro, BBC News Global Director, stressed that resilience against fake news "requires heart, but it also requires funding. We as an industry have to be incredibly resilient, and resilience requires digging deep. When we [the BBC] were kicked out of Russia and set up a newsroom in Riga – this was resilience, but also very costly. It's not just an act of spirit or the heart of journalists."
DW Director General Peter Limbourg stated: "Investing in free, independent media amid this information war goes further than buying tanks." On the key to staying relevant to audiences, Limbourg suggested collaboration with local and regional media, citing DW format Eco Africa as an example – an approach that, he said, "convinces our audience that we're not going in there with a colonialist agenda." Day 2: What to expect
Day two of the DW Global Media Forum 2025 will continue with a packed program of high-level discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities. Key topics include media innovation and diversity, platform regulation and safeguarding press freedom amid rising disinformation.
For real-time updates, highlights, and behind-the-scenes impressions, follow @DW_GMF and the hashtag #GMF25 across all major social media platforms.
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