In respect to the nomination of the former Head of News, Current Affairs and Sports Mr. Anton Hekimyan as a candidate as Mayor of Sofia, bTV Media Group would like to reiterate that the credibility and ability of our newsroom has a proven track record dating back for more than 20 years. Immediately upon request, bTV accepted Mr. Hekimyan’s resignation, promptly restricted his access to the newsroom and all other company assets and we quickly informed our internal community and the general public of his departure. While being fully confident in the depth, talent and commitment of the editorial team to objective news, bTV is implementing a number of measures which we plan to put into effect during the upcoming election season all in the name of further protecting bTV’s reputation as being one of the most objective and trustworthy media in Bulgaria. 

1. On Saturday 23 September, bTV CEO Ralf Bartoleit, together with the senior team of news department started to manage the newsroom. bTV’s newsroom is home to experienced and established journalists whose professionalism and ethics have been proven, their track record speaks for themselves. Our journalists follow the values and principles outlined in our CME Editorial Guidelines. More information can be found here: https://www.cme.net/about-cme/cme-editorial-board Mr. Bartoleit will be interim News & CAs and Sports Director until a suitable replacement has been found.

2. The CME Editorial Board will continue to engage with bTV with their presence and experience and ensure objective, impartial and high-quality content from our news and current affairs team. Information about our members of our esteemed board can be found here: https://www.cme.net/about-cme/cme-editorial-board

3. We will in due course announce our electoral editorial plan for coverage of the Local Elections 2023 campaign, that will ensure impartially and of the news.

4. We will employ the services of a third-party external agency to monitor the objectivity of our news coverage during the forthcoming election campaign.

5. A member of the CME Editorial Board will be available to answer questions that the Bulgarian media may have in relation to our electoral coverage.

“bTV takes the impact of the situation very seriously, and our number one priority continues to be to adhere to our editorial guidelines and report the news impartially and objectively,” said CEO and acting News, CAs and Sports Director Ralf Bartoleit.