“We started from scratch, with gifted chairs, tables, and laptops, with old laptops brought from home, and yet we tried not to limit ourselves. Today, when we are already achieving something, when we have grown and expanded, I often remember that period and how far we have come,” — this is how journalist and co-founder Aleksandre Keshelashvili describes the first days of the online Publikation Publika.
Publika appeared in the public space on October 18, 2019, with a video announcement, informing the audience that they should expect news, articles, photos, videos, audio materials, blogs, viewpoints, in-depth reports, and all kinds of media content that an informed citizen needs from this political-social online Publikation.
This was preceded by a departure from Liberali — the editorial team, including journalists and editors, left the Publikation in June 2019. In a statement, they wrote about the differences between the owner and their visions and indicated that they did not want the sustainable development of Liberali to be called into question in the future.
“Since we see our future only in serving independent media, and because we have accumulated unique experience, we will soon meet again in the media space, but on a new platform,” the statement read.
And so it happened. Within a few months, the team founded a new online Publikation, Publika, which sees its main purpose as facilitating informed citizen choices, which is a necessary prerequisite for the development of democracy.
They came up with the name and branding themselves. They didn’t have the budget to hire a specialist, and as Lekso says, “Through discussion and conversation, these ideas gave birth to the name Publika and the organization.”
Another challenge was that they didn’t have the space they needed for this discussion — neither an office nor enough money for a shared workspace or a café, so they met in parks or libraries. Despite these problems, they managed to launch a website and social media platforms that same year. As Lekso says, the help from each other and their supporters was crucial.
“Even when we worked in the newsroom, we were a united team, and now we are like one family, and the audience is like a child. We look at it like a child, we take care of it, we try and think about development, about growth. We have a sense of belonging, a closeness.”
They were able to raise the first funds and rent an office with the help of the Civil Society Foundation. It was a small space, they were struggling, and they were also caught up in the chaos of the current events [Gavrilov’s Night and the protests that began after that], but they knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy, so they didn’t stop.
“Of course, we thought about it, and there was a risk that we wouldn’t be able to even establish an organization at all, achieve financial stability. However, along with the risks, there was also a very big opportunity, an idea, and a dream that we could establish something very interesting and good media publication, and it was so big that we didn’t want to think too much about these risks, so we worked to achieve what we wanted as much as possible. The main thing was this desire and idea that we had.”
They were especially encouraged by the support they received. Lekso recalls that when they were gifted used office supplies and equipment, people would even apologize shyly for not being able to do more.
“For us, this was a very important support at the time. When you don’t even have a place to sit, in this case, it didn’t matter whether the chairs and tables were second-hand or new. The main thing was to receive support and somehow get our organization started to function.”
Within a few months, when the organization had become financially stronger, gained readership, and was firmly on its feet, the office where they had worked for years as a Liberali team became free. Thus, they returned “home.”
The challenges of creating the organization were compounded by the tense socio-political environment in the country. The website had just been launched when Publika journalists found themselves in the middle of a field, between homophobic, violent groups and riot police who had mobilized near the Amiran Cinema for the premiere of the film And Then We Danced.
“We’ve been working like this ever since,” says Lekso, recalling the events of recent years: “A few months later, the Covid pandemic began. We were not yet firmly established and established when Covid hit us. This was followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, at the same time, the decline of democracy in Georgia, repressions, and civil society protests against this backdrop. Since then, we have had to work in this tense and interesting period.”
They knew from the beginning that independent media would face difficulties in the conditions of growing authoritarianism, but they were ready for these challenges. That is why Lekso is proud to represent this organization and do exactly what she chose to do as a profession: ethical journalism, the goal of which is to let the country and the world hear what as many people as possible have to say.
“That’s why we are gathered here. If the amount of our salary in journalism had been a decision for us, we would not have even founded this organization or started working here. Or if we were afraid of pressure — because independent media in such countries, especially in conditions of growing authoritarianism, face problems everywhere, and I think that our team was somehow prepared for these challenges.
“We had an emotional readiness and expectation that the work would not be easy and that not all doors would be open to us. This is also a challenge for us and gives us even more confidence that we are doing the right thing and a good thing for society, democracy, and our country,” says Lekso, adding that it is much more interesting to work in an organization that was built together.
Over the past 6 years, the public has introduced hundreds of people to the audience, told us thousands of new stories, and captured footage that reflects the turning points of the country’s history. They have received numerous awards from authoritative organizations and no less attacks, both verbal – from the government, and physical – from special forces, the so-called Titushki, and supporters of the Georgian Dream.
The support and solidarity they receive from society gives them special strength in this process.
“What is particularly heartwarming and emotional for us is that we have met many people recently who have come to us when they recognized us and expressed their gratitude. Or they have heard about us, hugged us, and said that it is good that we exist.”
Lekso believes that the audience appreciates the work of journalists and sees how they try to ensure that nothing is left behind, that their voice is not lost. As an example, he cites the public’s reaction to the media being shut down for several hours during the general strike, when they emphasized that the media must continue to work.
“A lot of people were worried at the time, and many saw very clearly and vividly what a danger it would be to be without media. It was also very interesting and moving for me that so quickly, within minutes, so many people were expressing support, solidarity, and the desire that online media, Publika, should be in this country and that journalists should have the opportunity to work freely.”
The support we received for our journalists, including me, was heartwarming. Many, many people, including complete strangers, expressed their support — strangers, distant acquaintances, relatives, and even people who had previously been quite loyal to the government, but they also saw how unacceptable it was to attack journalists, online media, and the public . This support is very precious to me and I will always remember it,” says Lekso, who was severely beaten by riot police while covering a pro-European rally in 2025. His nose was broken and he needed surgery. Instead of punishing the perpetrators, the court found the victim journalist himself a criminal for “disobedience to the police.”
Along with the public’s trust and support, Lexo is proud of the Publika team — it knows for sure that if he is arrested or someone is pressured, the publication will not stop working and will demonstrate professionalism even in a crisis situation.
In recent years, and especially in recent months, independent Georgian media have been struggling to survive. Russian laws, repressions, attacks, threats and physical attacks, restrictions on access to public information, bans — these are just a small part of the challenges that journalists face in their work. Despite this, every day they go out and work even when they are prevented; they draw when they are forbidden to film, and they record non-stop in live mode when they are not allowed to record or broadcast live. They do everything to ensure that no citizen’s story or problem remains unnoticed.
Publika is among the online media outlets that are at risk of disappearing due to the repressive policies of the Georgian Dream. However, both during its creation and now, the editorial team is ready for challenges and does not intend to give up.
Lekso notes that if independent online media disappears due to repression, it will have a very serious impact on society.
“Many of our colleagues, high-class professionals, work in online media, including, around me, at Publika. News, stories, explained data, problems covered by professional journalists are important, which in many cases would remain out of the public eye without our work… The topics we cover are of a wide range, be it politics, justice or social issues, healthcare, education. Solved problems are also important, when people have at least solved something by raising the topic on our part.”
The special role of the media was also seen by society when the Georgian Dream took another repressive step and restricted journalists from working at court hearings. It was clear that this decision was aimed at hiding the truth.
Several months of tireless work by online media outlets, including Publika, brought the voices of prisoners of conscience to the public and demonstrated the absurdity of the accusations that have left dozens of people behind bars.
As we have already mentioned, when journalists were banned from filming, the media found a way out by distributing sketches from the sessions. In addition, Publika periodically distributes footage from the archive of prosecutors, false witnesses, police officers, and special forces filmed at the sessions, in order to at least get to the public some of the information that the Georgian Dream so diligently hides.
In addition, the fact that the public was able to see photos of prisoners of conscience from court hearings is, among other things, thanks to Publika.
In response to the current challenges, a unified platform was created to support independent media: sinatle.media. Today, independent online media in Georgia is fighting for survival. The repressive regime is trying to suppress voices that tell the truth.
22 online media outlets from all over Georgia have come together to defend what belongs to us all: free speech and democracy. Publika is among the online media outlets participating in the campaign.
Your support is crucial in this fight. Donate to support independent online media and help us spread the word.
Transfer to support online media, recipient: “People’s Source”:
- TBC Bank: #GE76TB7548536080100013
- Bank of Georgia: #GE06BG0000000609779465
- From emigration: https://www.gofundme.com/…/help-media-in-the-fight-for…