CEM calls for restrained coverage of the crash on the Trakia Motorway

The Council for Electronic Media called on the media to refrain from sensationalism when covering the serious crashes on the Trakia Motorway near the Zimnitsa junction. In a position, the regulator insisted on compliance with the principles of the Ethical Code of Bulgarian Media.

CEM expressed its sympathy to the victims, the injured and their relatives. The council called on the media to respect the memory of those who died and to spare the emotional vulnerability of the injured and their families.

Appeal to media outlets broadcasting live

Electronic media broadcasting live from the scene of the tragedy were urged to carefully assess the impact of the footage and eyewitness accounts broadcast directly on air. CEM stressed that what happened has a strong emotional impact on the audience.

„Professionalism is measured not by the sensationalism of headlines, footage and testimonies, but by a clear and adequate assessment of the situation and by empathy when formulating questions and comments in the coverage of the crash,“ CEM said.

The regulator also announced that it had already begun extraordinary monitoring of the media coverage of the tragedy.

11 dead and 48 injured

Two chain-reaction crashes closed the Trakia Motorway near the Zimnitsa junction in Yambol Region. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that, at present, 11 people had died and 48 had been injured.

According to preliminary data, around 50 passenger cars and heavy goods vehicles were involved in the incidents.

Source: bta.bg