Georgian photographers accused World Press Photo of legitimizing Russian propaganda
Kyiv • UNN
Georgian photographers condemned the victory of a TASS photographer at World Press Photo for a series about protests in Tbilisi. They consider it an insult, given TASS's support for the Russian Federation's aggression.
Georgian photojournalists and documentary photographers have called the victory of TASS's Mikhail Tereshchenko in the World Press Photo competition with a series of pictures about the protests in Tbilisi an insult, UNN reports with reference to Novosti Georgia.
We are deeply outraged and shocked by World Press Photo's decision to award the 2025 prize to a representative of the Russian state propaganda structure TASS for a photo report about Georgian protests - demonstrations directly against Russian influence and occupation of Georgia. Awarding a photographer representing the Kremlin's narrative for covering anti-Russian protests is not only a blatant paradox, but also a direct insult to all who risk their lives resisting Russian interference in Georgia's sovereignty and future
The authors of the appeal add that TASS "distorts the truth about the war in Ukraine", just as it did during Russia's war against Georgia in 2008. Tereshchenko himself, they continue, openly supported Russian aggression in Ukraine, calling the invasion "liberation".
By awarding the prize to a photo report made by a TASS employee, World Press Photo legitimizes an agency known for spreading disinformation. This decision undermines independent media, strengthens propaganda and allows false narratives to gain wide recognition.
Let's add
On March 27, as the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers reported, the international organization World Press Photo announced 42 regional winners of the annual documentary photography competition.
Among the winners were also representatives of Russia and Belarus, as well as two German photographers whose work concerns the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
One of the photographs that received recognition was a portrait of a Ukrainian child who survived severe injuries as a result of the war.
Another award-winning photo shows a wounded occupant from the "DPR" in a field hospital near Bakhmut.
This choice of the jury caused criticism, in particular, from last year's winner of World Press Photo, Ukrainian photographer Yulia Kochetova.
Obviously, I am surprised to see so much attention to the narrative of the "Russian soul" among the regional winners this year. I can't imagine how Georgian photographers feel that their protests against Russian influence were shown through the images of a photographer from a Russian state agency. This is a personal responsibility - how this war will be told in years. It is important to continue to witness and document
