BBC Learning English
Words in the News
Jobs creation show criticised

31st January 2012

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2012

Page 1 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

Georgia has come up with an unusual way to create jobs at a time when countries

around the world struggle with high unemployment: a TV show. But it's sparkled criticism

that the government is using it to win votes for October's parliamentary elections. The

BBC's Damien McGuinness reports:

In a small room at the back of a draughty, crumbling warehouse, Zaza Janezashvili
carefully feeds coloured thread into a huge creaking machine.

A few minutes later a bright yellow sock pops out. He's now able to buy new machinery
to expand production ten-fold. And it's all thanks to reality TV.

He won a low-rate loan on Georgia's latest television hit. In the programme, its host,
the mayor of Tbilisi, a possible successor to President Saakashvili, shows off local
building projects. He then decides which entrepreneur deserves to win a government-
backed low-interest loan.

Critics, such as political scientist Koba Turmanidze, say this is political propaganda
masquerading as reality TV.

Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava denies using TV to win votes.

But all three national channels are pro-government. Some reporters fear losing their jobs
if they are too critical. Politicians handing out loans on TV may seem like electioneering
but with interest rates over 20 per cent and almost a third of the population out of work,
Zaza says he's grateful for any help he can get.

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2012

Page 2 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

Vocabulary and definitions

draughty

room prone to have unpleasant cold wind flowing
through

expand

increase

reality TV

show made for television starring ordinary people
being observed in their ordinary roles

low-rate loan

money borrowed cheaply

successor

a person who follows another in a particular post

entrepreneur

a person who starts a business

propaganda

dissemination of biased information

masquerading

pretending to be something else

denies

says that something is not true

electioneering

statement or act performed solely with the objective
of attracting votes

More on Georgia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1102477.stm

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/01/120131_witn_georgia.shtml