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There is freedom of speech in the BNR and the program “Politically INCORRECT” is one of the clearest proofs of this, stated the general director Milen Mitev, quoted by the media, on the occasion of the decision of the Program Council of the BNR not to broadcast the interview with the Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova , writes BTA.
The conversation with the Russian ambassador was announced on the show’s Facebook page already on Thursday. The host of “Political Incorrect” on the Bulgarian National Radio, Petar Volgin, announced today on air that the Program Board of the BNR has banned the broadcast of a pre-recorded interview with Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova.
BNR General Director Milen Mitev explained that 15 of the members of the Media Program Council voted not to broadcast the interview, one of them abstained, and the reasons for not playing the pre-recorded conversation were non-compliance with journalistic standards. “Each media works according to rules, one of which are editorial standards. The authority that decides on their compliance or violation is the Program Council”, Mitev points out.
It is normal for any material created with the resources of the National Radio to be the property of the BNR and for it to assess what can be done with it, Milen Mitev pointed out regarding the ban on the interview with the ambassador of Russia to be broadcast on other channels outside of the broadcast of the program. Horizon”.
“Any decision can be declared dependent. The clash of opinions in our society has long degenerated into a positional war in which everyone refuses to hear the opinion of the other. This escalation of the public dialogue does not lead to anything good”, believes the general director of BNR.
When the decision is made by a collective body, the risk is reduced, the general director of the national radio also said.
“There is no way for me to express a definite position before I know the details of this decision and the prerequisites for it,” commented the chairman of the Electronic Media Council, Sonja Momchilova. She added that she hoped it was about preserving standards, but also admitted that she had probably made “this scary, sinister diagnosis of self-censorship” more common, which the Association of European Journalists had put forward in its study.
Sonja Momchilova also said that she was not surprised by the behavior of the chairman of the Parliamentary Group from the DPS, Delyan Peevski, who strongly condemned the invitation to an interview with the Russian ambassador. “Perhaps I am surprised by the oblivion in which the style in which Mr. Peevski managed his media group fell. This is more unfavorable for the media environment – to forget who he is”, stated the chairman of the CEM.
Later today, in its position to the media, the management of the Bulgarian National Radio stated that it considers inadmissible and categorically rejects attempts to interfere in the editorial policy of the media. The case of the unaired interview of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation Eleonora Mitrofanova should not be used for political purposes and suggestions, the BNR states.
From there, they add that the decision not to broadcast the interview with the Russian ambassador in the program “Politically Incorrect” on December 16 was made in accordance with the accepted rules for editorial activity in the BNR and professional standards, in accordance with the public interest, the legal framework and The code of ethics of the Bulgarian media.
It is unacceptable for the BNR to become an accomplice in the Russian hybrid war, stated in his position the chairman of the PG of the DPS Delyan Peevski after the interview was previously announced.
“We accept Mitrofanova’s appearance on public radio as a gross demonstration of disrespect for national sovereignty, pan-European positions and values, as well as trampling on the national interests of Bulgaria,” Peevski states in his position. He adds that according to the Constitution and the law, the public media ensure through their program policy the protection of national interests and universal human values.
Stopping the interview and not airing it on air caused a political backlash.
In their position, “Vazrazhdane” called on the Program Board of the Bulgarian National Radio to eliminate “double media standards and to oppose the political pressure on the fourth power.”
BSP leader Kornelia Ninova commented to journalists that the interference of politicians in the work of journalists is an attack on their freedom. According to her, the issue is fundamental and is another proof of an attack on the democratic freedom of the media.
The spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, sharply criticized the removal from the air of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) today in an interview with the Russian ambassador in Sofia, Eleonora Mitrofanova, TASS reported.
The Embassy of Ukraine in our country also expressed a position regarding the announced interview with Mitrofanova. On its Facebook page, the embassy wrote on Friday: “We express great disappointment and deep regret that a representative of the Kremlin regime – the ambassador of the Russian Federation will be a guest on the program “Politically Incorrect” on the Bulgarian National Radio. Providing an opportunity for the appearance and propaganda of an official of an aggressor state by a national Bulgarian media is a gross violation of professional and moral standards in journalism.”
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2023-12-16 19:50:00
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