BTV television is parting ways with journalist and presenter Maria Tsantsarova. Initially, the media outlet stated that she would host another format, instead of "This Morning". A protest organized by AEJ was held in defense of the journalist. However, today the media outlet reports that Tsantsarova will no longer be part of her team. Here is the television station's position:
In order to dispel all false allegations and speculation in the public space, bTV feels obliged to present all the facts regarding the situation. Over the past few months, Maria Tsantsarova has repeatedly violated a number of editorial policies and principles:
Maria Tsantsarova has repeatedly allowed herself to express her political preferences on air, which is unacceptable and does not meet any journalistic standards. One example of this was appearing on air with a branded cup with a message that is clearly associated with a current political campaign. According to our internal rules, the persons of leading formats have a specific responsibility to help balance the commitments to freedom of expression and impartiality.
Maria Tsantsarova allowed herself to make numerous comments on air, accusing her immediate supervisor of influencing the editorial content, which is his right, prerogative and obligation, namely to ensure the presentation of all points of view.
Maria Tsantsarova made her own decision to extend an interview with a guest in the morning block by over 15 minutes, which is why the program “News” was not broadcast at the scheduled time, which was a gross violation of the media's internal rules of operation.
Despite these unprecedented violations of the CME Editorial Standards for impartiality, equal distance from all political parties, which all journalists of the media must adhere to, the management of bTV decided to hold a constructive dialogue with her, offering her another show in prime time television.
Within the framework of these discussions on Friday, numerous new opportunities for professional realization of Maria Tsantsarova in prime time of the media were discussed:
A completely new and expanded scope of the show “Why?, within which the presenter will have the opportunity to pose critical questions not only to the executive branch, but also to representatives of all authorities and institutions in the country in prime time of television in order to present all points of view - the main mission and goal of bTV;
In addition, bTV's plans included the creation of its own digital podcast, with which the media outlet would reach a new audience and which would be hosted by Tsantsarova.
The discussions about the planned upgrade of bTV's main journalistic programs with journalists from the editorial staff, including Maria Tsantsarova, were held against the backdrop of an unprecedented spread of rumors and false allegations, including from the rostrum of the National Assembly, about the dismissal of Tsantsarova and another prominent journalist of the media outlet - Zlatimir Yochev, who has been on a planned Christmas vacation abroad for months.
Maria Tsantsarova asked for a postponement and the media outlet respected her decision. In the meantime, bTV decided to offer her another option, again related to a current program in prime time. Even before this meeting took place today, Maria Tsantsarova published a post on social media announcing that she had been “taken off the air“. From the very beginning, bTV has supported her professional development as a journalist, reporter and presenter, including through repeated defense against attempts at external interference or seeking accountability for journalistic materials and investigations.
“I consider Maria's choice not to wait for a direct, good-faith discussion with us to be unprofessional and in complete breach of trust. I had personally arranged a meeting with her for 1:00 PM today to resolve the situation and offer her clear professional and editorial options, as well as a way forward.
As a CEO and an internationally experienced journalist with decades of experience in the industry, I consider her decision to proceed otherwise to be a deliberate rejection of dialogue.
Let me be absolutely clear: independent, objective journalism is not just a slogan for us at bTV - it is the foundation of everything we do, every day. Any form of activism fundamentally undermines and destroys the credibility of the journalism we work for every day. This is a line that cannot be crossed.
We fully understand the sensitivities in the country and the broader political context in Bulgaria. "However, bTV will not - and never will - tailor its news coverage to serve a single political point of view or agenda," said Ralph Bartholomew, CEO of bTV Media Group.
“Fair, independent and professional journalism is based on one unwavering principle: objectivity. What we are witnessing is not a harmless internal disagreement, but a direct attack on the integrity of our editorial team and our editorial independence.
Political activism on CME's media platforms is fundamentally incompatible with our mission and values. We do not tolerate any attempts - overt or covert - to turn our television channels into political tools”, said Hans Mar, head of the CME editorial board.
bTV Media Group, as an established media organization with clear principles, a stable position in the market and a long-term vision for development, once again states that our editorial policy includes balanced coverage of current events and news, accurate presentation of facts, complete impartiality of journalists, as well as a ban on any type of demonstrations on air. In case of violation of some of these rules, the media has always acted and will continue to do so immediately and categorically.
Editorial independence and the pursuit of objectivity inevitably mean that none of the media covered can be completely satisfied - and this is clear evidence of the high professional level of our journalists, editors, producers and the quality of our journalistic products. For us, the leading criterion is not the attitude of politicians towards the media, but the confidence that bTV creates one of the best media products in Bulgaria.
At the same time, practice shows that the pressure from political parties, businesses and other organizations on independent media in recent years is no exception. Their expectations of “convenient“ or serving certain media are incompatible with the principles that bTV upholds, have not been, and cannot be fulfilled, regardless of the pressure to which the media are subjected daily.