The Association of Bulgarian Broadcasters (ABRO) has organized a discussion on freedom of expression and the functioning of an independent media environment in the country. The aim of the event is to achieve a broad debate on the need for concrete measures to ensure the protection of freedom of speech and expression and media pluralism in the country.
The forum was attended by representatives of regulatory authorities, professional and media organizations such as the Council for Electronic Media, the Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, the Association of European Journalists, members of, journalists from leading print and electronic media, media experts and academics from the University of National and World Economy, the New Bulgarian University, the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and students from the Media and Public Communication Department of UNWE.
Participants took an in-depth look at the state of the current media environment and how to address the issues and challenges journalists face in their daily work.
"The purpose of today's forum is to focus on the freedom of media services in terms of freedom of communication, freedom of the media and freedom of journalists," said Anna Tanova-Atanasova, Executive Director of the Association of Bulgarian Broadcasters (ABRO) and Chairperson of the Board of the National Council for Self-Regulation, at the opening ceremony. In her words, media freedom is an aspect of rotational responsibility and independence, it is the freedom to choose content and to choose the people who work in the media. Freedom of information ensures pluralism of views in society and ensures that the political, ideological or spiritual sphere is not monopolized, Atanasova said, adding that these freedoms are a guarantee for the existence of democratic societies.
"Forums like this are an opportunity for cooperation between the media in Bulgaria. Because it is in the public interest that cooperation comes before competition. The results of such cooperation should lead to some practical results of great public interest," said the general director of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, Kiril Valchev. According to him, these practical results are seven - the restoration of political debates, the restoration of classic interviews with political leaders, the restoration of election night press conferences, the restoration of distance between journalists and politicians, the restoration of quoting sources, the restoration of quoting between media and the restoration of support between media when journalists are targeted for their work.
"We encourage a free spirit and free thinking, and the university is the right place for such discussions," said the Rector of the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Prof. Dr Dimitar Dimitrov. According to him, this professional media discussion will give researchers and lecturers at the university the opportunity to get a first-hand insight into the most important issues that concern the media community. "Freedom of expression, ethical standards and the quality of media dialogue are fundamental for the establishment of independent media that are on the side of Bulgarian citizens," said the UNWE rector.
"For CEM it is an extraordinary commitment to be a guarantor and to do everything in our power to guarantee the freedom of expression of the media in Bulgaria. We do this not only through our usual functions. We also do it through the many positions of solidarity that we express whenever there is an attack on media and journalists," said Dr Simona Veleva, acting chairperson of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM). "When we talk about the right to freedom of expression, it has clear limits. And it is no coincidence that Article 17 of the European Convention on Human Rights explicitly states that these rights and the right to freedom of expression cannot be used to undermine any of the rights guaranteed by the Convention. And hate speech, threats against journalists, attacks on democracy, collusion in the dark - these are the natural enemies of democracy," Veleva added.
"There is a need for a state policy on the protection of freedom of expression. Bulgaria is one of the few EU member states that has not implemented any of the recommendations contained in the European Commission's Recommendation on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals in the European Union. And this is just one symptom," said Gospodin Yovchev, Chief Operating Officer of bTV Media Group. In his words, the protection of journalism and freedom of expression is becoming a focus of European Union law. "I believe that we all owe it to all decent journalists in Bulgaria to raise these issues systematically, so that there are clear results from our discussions, and not just remain in the realm of talk or academia. Both are important, but it is the practical results that we should really strive for in order to change the environment," he added.
"This forum is extremely important for the young people who are here today and who want to dedicate themselves to this profession. Not only does it provide opportunities for personal and professional development, but it also fulfils its broad societal mission by creating value and changing the world around us," Gospodin Yovchev added in his remarks.
The first discussion panel "Media - Freedom of Speech and Ethical Principles of Journalism in Modern Societies" put on the agenda the topic of media culture and legal principles, European measures and directives, the real threats and manifestations of verbal and physical aggression against journalists in Bulgaria, as well as possible actions for legislative protection. Participants included Dr. Simona Veleva, Acting Chairperson of the Council for Electronic Media, Irina Nedeva, Chairperson of the Board of the Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria), Gospodin Yovchev, Chief Operating Officer of bTV Media Group, Snezhana Todorova, Chairperson of the Board of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ), Prof. Neli Ognyanova, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Prof. Rosen Stoyanov, Media and Communication Department, New Bulgarian University, experts in media law and communication. They noted that it is rare to see representatives of commercial and public media, educators, and regulators standing at the same table and called for more solidarity and support among journalists in the industry.
What are the challenges in the "Election campaigns and power-journalism relations" were discussed by the leading journalists Boyko Vassilev, Bulgarian National Television, Milen Mitev, Director General of Bulgarian National Radio, Gabriela Naplatanova, member of the CEM, Daniela Trencheva, journalist of Nova TV, Dobrina Cheshmedjieva, journalist of BNT, as well as Bilyana Tsarnorechka, press officer at the Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria. The participants discussed attempts to influence the editorial activity of the media and called for the return of political debate on the air of the national electronic media, as well as for changes in the electoral code.
The third panel - "Disinformation - globalization, new approaches and contemporary threats in the media environment" - presented the current risks of access to unverified factual content on social networks, misuse of information and circulation of misleading election messages. The discussion was joined by Dr. Vesislava Antonova, UNWE, Svetoslav Ivanov, journalist at bTV, Velislava Popova, Editor-in-Chief of Dnevnik.bg, Stanimir Vaglenov, Head of Online Projects at Media Group Bulgaria, Prolet Velkova, member of CEM and Lyudmil Kardzhilov, radio presenter at Darik Radio.
The participants reaffirmed the need for unity in the journalists' guild and for joint action to protect the dignity and independence of the media in Bulgaria and to draw the attention of society and politicians to concrete measures and changes in the regulatory mechanisms. These include the rejection of all attempts to use physical and verbal violence against journalists, the adoption of a series of amendments to legislation and self-regulation in order to introduce measures to protect the integrity of journalists and to ensure the protection of journalists provided for in the acts of the European Union, clear guarantees of non-interference by the state and politicians in the editorial independence and freedom of expression of the media.
