Media Freedom in Bulgaria Milestones 2010 AEJ-Bulgaria

Main challenges Lack of transparency in the media ownership; Self censorship of journalists; Direct political pressure; Direct intimidation of journalists, working for small media, often outside the capital;

Lack of transparency The big problems are not abstract. There is peoples’ names behind. Some examples: Irena Krasteva is the owner of the New Bulgarian Media Group – an extremely fast growing media corporation, which owns several Bulgarian newspapers, televisions and IPK Rodina – the biggest publishing and printing company in the country. The purchase of the group was made with a loan from the Corporate Commercial Bank, owner of 48% of the state enterprises deposits.

Lack of transparency Who is Irena Krasteva: former head of Bulgaria’s “Toto” lottery. mother of the MP from the Movement for rights and freedom and deputy minister of emergency situations in the previous government - Delian Peevski. Is it possible for a person, living on a state salary, to acquire such a big group with own resources? And who is the real owner?

Self censorship “Do I manipulate you?” This was merely the official question the Prime Minister Borissov sent to the chief editors and directors of the major media. There wasn’t positive answers. This ridicule situation came as it was publically discussed, but not proven, that he and other officials sustain contacts on daily basis with journalists and editors to influence their editorial policies.

Direct political pressure The MP Luchezar Ivanov called and tried to convince the journalist Diliana Gajtandjieva not to give publicity to an investigation about a custom officer who was proven to be a friend of his family. After the case became public (after the permission that the Prime-Minister gave to Gajtandjieva, (declared Bosissov himself !)) the official was symbolically punished, but he is still a MP.

Direct intimidation of the small media The editor of “Parijki Vesti” (Paris news), Atanas Tchobanov, was intimidated consecutively because of his investigative materials about the permanent abuses of the mayor of the southeastern town of Carevo Petko Arnaudov. Reporters Without Borders condemned the harassment of the journalist. Tchobanov told RWB he was convinced that the Carevo town hall was reacting to one of his investigative reports accusing it of abusing public resources and corrupt practices.

A light in the tunnel? The ambition of the government is to create a totally new media law until the end of this year. In the beginning of June 2010 the Prime Minister Boiko Borissov appointed an expert group that has to prepare the amendments until 30th of November. The new law is intended to regulate the transparency of media ownership. Meanwhile, in July 2010 the Council of ministers approved an amendment in the Law on legal deposit of printed and other works. The amendment is bringing in the requirement for the publishers of periodic printed publications to send a declaration in the Ministry of culture that identifies the real owner of the publisher. The responsibility for having the required information on the ownership will be not only for the publisher but also for the producers and the spreaders of the printed editions.

AEJ-Bulgaria reporting by: Kristina HRISTOVA Maria Cheresheva Vladimir IVANOV