Guaranteeing the freedom and independence of the media is of key importance for the democratic and stable development of society. This was stated by the Head of State Rumen Radev at a meeting today at the presidential institution with representatives of international media organizations who are visiting our country, the presidential press secretariat announced.
The delegation is led by Pavol Szalai - head of the "Reporters Without Borders" department for the EU and the Balkans and represents the Platform for the Safety of Journalists at the Council of Europe and the Rapid Reaction Mechanism for Violations of Media Freedom. The visit will last until September 26, and during its visit, the delegation will hold meetings with institutions and journalists, focusing on the media environment.
Rumen Radev noted that the experts' visit comes against the backdrop of overlapping crises, for which independent media are particularly important. The media sector is also going through a period of transformation, in which conventional media are giving way to alternative sources of information such as social networks. Among the reasons for these processes, the head of state highlighted new forms of communication, financial models, as well as selected information and the trend of public trust flowing away from traditional media in favor of social networks.
The focus of the conversation was on the role of public media as a guarantor of preserving and promoting professional journalistic standards and upholding pluralism. The need for a transparent mechanism for their financing was emphasized, which would guarantee their independence.
President Radev also highlighted the need to increase transparency regarding media ownership, as the available public information is not always sufficient to reveal the real owners and their possible political affiliations. This is a prerequisite for the establishment of censorship in media editorial offices or self-censorship by journalists themselves, which practically destroys journalism.
The representatives of the media organizations emphasized the importance of adopting the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and implementing other European norms in the field of media law, which would guarantee the protection of journalists against verbal and physical attacks and the freedom of the media, including in cases of deliberate prosecution.