Georgia panicked by fake Russia invasion broadcast

Sunday, March 14, 2010 

Georgia

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A Georgian television station sparked panic today when it broadcast a report containing a simulation of events that might occur if Russia invaded Georgia in an event similar to a war that took place a year and a half ago.

The fake report came only 18 months after a war between Georgia and Russia, and the broadcast, run by Imedi TV, was composed of footage from that conflict, as well as recorded statements from Russian and Georgian leaders. Such footage included "reports" that Russian forces had bombed Georgian military bases and a civilian airport in the capital of Tbilisi. Additionally, the report claimed that Russian forces had killed Georgian soldiers in South Ossieta, the site of the 2008 war.

	This kind of experiment is a crime to our people and to humanity
—Georgian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Ilia II

According to the network, the intention of the broadcast had been to show what could have happened if Russia had invaded again and killed Georgia's president. To this end, the broadcast was bookended at the beginning and end with a notice that the events were a simulation of possible events. The network did not, however, run such notes during the program itself, and many who watched it became alarmed by the events it covered. According to one local news agency, Georgian emergency services had received a spike in the number of phone calls during the time the broadcast was on air.

Around two hours after the program finished, the network began running scrolling text on further programs, apologizing for the broadcast, and the head of Imedi's parent company issued a statement apologizing for the "distress" that the broadcast had caused. Despite the apologies, which included one from a Georgian official, the reaction to the broadcast was generally one of opposition and anger. The leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, issued a statement saying that, "This kind of experiment is a crime to our people and to humanity," and an opposition politician labeled the report as "disgusting." One woman who had been affected by the 2008 conflict said that, "it wasn't right of them to do it."

• "Fake Russian invasion broadcast sparks Georgian panic" — CNN, March 14, 2010
• "Bogus TV report of Russian invasion panics Georgia" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2010
  

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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable. Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication. Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators. Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections. Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.