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How Bulgaria moved rock bottom for free media | Freedom of the Press

On September 2, 2020, the Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Kenarov went to the center of the Bulgarian capital Sofia to hold anti-government protests.

He was filming a peace march demanding the resignation of then-Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s government, when a few people began throwing projectiles at police, who responded with a smirk.

In the ensuing violence, Kenarov, who at the time was wearing a “Press” air mask, was knocked to the ground by police, kicked in the face, and handcuffed, although he claimed to be a journalist and showed them a printing card.

He was later taken to the police station and released a few hours later.

In the following weeks, the Interior Ministry denied that Kenarov had been detained, despite his detention and medical parole order.

After trying to take the matter to court, the prosecuting attorney terminated the proceedings, with the Interior Ministry requesting the National Income Agency to reconsider its tax and security.

The article criticized countries from organizations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which considered the issue in preparation. new Press Press Index released in April.

It ranked Bulgaria 112th in the world, third-lowest in European countries, after Russia (150) and Belarus (158).

Bulgaria was ranked 112nd in the Pressers Without Border’s Press Freedom Index [File: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]

According to Al Jazeera journalists and students interviewed, the freedom of the press in Bulgaria has declined sharply over the past 20 years, not only because of the country’s democratic establishment, but also because journalists are fighting corruption and economic hardship.

However, it is hoped that the ongoing political changes will soon end the problem.

‘EU increases corruption’

When the RSF first launched its media rights campaign in 2002, Bulgaria, a former EU member, was 38th.

Five years later, when it joined the bloc, it dropped to 51. The decline continued and 10 years as a member of the EU, the country became 109th.

Bulgaria is not the only EU member state that has fought for freedom of the press, and other countries in Eastern Europe that have completed the 2000s are facing similar challenges.

Pavol Szalai, head of the Balkans Desk at RSF, told Al Jazeera that freedom of the press in Bulgaria was affected by the oppressive practices that other Eastern European countries are suffering from, among others.

“Unlike other EU countries, such as Hungary and Poland, where things have gotten worse but they are on a much larger scale, in Bulgaria we have seen repeated harassment of journalists,” he said.

At the moment, there is a shortage of independent journalists, and the courts are prosecuting journalists instead of protecting them.

According to Kenarov, however, violence against journalists is not uncommon in Bulgaria.

“I can’t say that in Bulgaria they beat more than they beat others [European] states, ”he said, adding that he considered his assault case to be a special one.

He believes that those in power are fighting for government agencies to deal with dissidents.

Local and regional authorities may monitor the media for their work, distributing advertising funds.

After joining the EU, Bulgaria, like other new members, received huge sums of money to support its economic development.

The rest was given to the government to advertise EU development programs, which, thanks to the country’s limited advertising market of seven million people, provide equal opportunities for journalists, both large and small.

“The EU has increased the level of corruption in Bulgaria,” Kenarov said. “By providing this uncompromising funding to the Bulgarian government, in all areas, not just journalists, he created Borisov and helped him develop a way to benefit his customers.”

‘Media only’

Pa Borisov’s three words as Prime Minister since 2009, Bulgaria has seen the sale of large real estate to potential buyers.

In 2019, businessmen Kiril Domuschiev and Georgi Domuschiev acquired Nova TV, one of three TV channels.

Subsequently, a number of investigative journalists used by TV withdrew their contracts.

After Borisov resigned in May, local media reported that between 2017 and 2021 his minister had spent more than $ 6m in EU funding on media coverage, the largest share – $ 1.3m – going to Nova TV.

Borisov has also been charged with defrauding Delyan Peevski, a journalist and former member of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms parliament.

In the three years that Borisov has been Prime Minister since 2009, Bulgaria has seen the sale of large real estate to businesses that he thinks are close to him. [File: Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters]

The U.S. Treasury Department recently approved Peevski under the Global Magnitsky Act.

One of the US criticisms of Peevski is that he “negotiated with politicians to provide them with political support and to publish good news in order to protect the investigation”.

“A group of oligarchs, especially Peevski […] has established itself, “Venelina Popova, a research journalist who has worked for Bulgaria National Radio for 30 years, told Al Jazeera.

“Major media companies have gone through a number of business ventures, many of which require them to work closely with their executives to avoid problems and to receive promotional funding.”

It is believed that Peevski owns 80% of the press market and is accused of using the space he owns to deceive critics and critics.

Popova said last year, after researching what Peevski had to offer to public hospitals at the beginning of the epidemic, he was called “an opponent” and “an opponent” in his articles. The Bulgarian branch of the European Association of Journalists (AEJ) released a statement of support.

The financial crisis of 2008

The global events of the companies have also affected the situation in Bulgaria.

According to Martin Marinos, a journalist and assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University, media in Bulgaria began in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of foreign media organizations, such as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and WAZ in Germany.

“These companies, the way they talk about democracy and development, are turning the retail space into tabloids and they don’t care about journalism,” he said.

The company’s subsequent acquisition provided an opportunity for the Bulgarian oligarchs to purchase a media portfolio, especially following the exit of foreign businesses following the 2008 financial crisis.

The results were devastating, with retailers and journalists at risk of financial ruin, Marinos explained.

During 2010s, media workers shared stories of overpaid work and repeated job losses.

In addition to the huge downturn and lack of power for government agencies, the crisis has also helped big business to control the media market, says Marinos.

“There is no way that things can go well if you have a partnership with big business and the media,” he said.

Marinos cited an example from his field work with TV7, a way to connect with Tsvetan Vasilev, a former chairman of the disbanded Corporate Commerce Bank (CCB) committee: “I visited TV7 [in 2016]. Part of the house was TV7, the other half was [CCB] bank. You just walk down the aisle and pass people you don’t know as journalists or bankers. ”

The internet and social media, as well as the way Big Tech is affecting the advertising market, have also changed the shape.

Currently, about 60 percent of Bulgarian online advertising goes to Facebook and Google.

“[There was] Wrong changes in business practices. The position of the press has plummeted, some media outlets have lost a lot of money, and in many cases, journalism has lost a lot of space on television, “Ivan Radev, a board member of the AEJ branch in Bulgaria, told Al Jazeera.

This devastated the young journalists.

Journalists also became insecure about their jobs, and many quit their jobs, he said.

Bulgaria has the smallest number of journalists in the EU and is believed to have only 3,000 journalists.

‘There is no quick and easy answer’

Despite the difficulties, Al Jazeera’s interviewed reporters expressed hope for the future.

Much of what he hopes for is related to Borisov’s resignation in May after his GERB party and its allies did not receive enough votes in the April election to form a government.

“There is no quick and easy solution to this problem [with press freedom] and many times, “Radev said.” But this political change seems like a good thing because most people believe that the government is holding them back. “

In his view, the media in Bulgaria could benefit from a change of lawsuits, which will increase the response of those who misuse public funds.

Politicians, he added, should change their minds about respecting media freedom.

Kenarov is also reviewing recent developments in Bulgaria.

He further added that after the interim government took over from Borisov, the interior ministry withdrew its request for a tax review and began negotiating.

In his view, the change in the case promotes the freedom of the press in Bulgaria – as well as the EU’s significant improvement in the use of bloc funds.

“When we, the Bulgarians, joined the EU, our hope was not money, but money management. We saw the EU as an organization that could control our corrupt institutions,” he said.

While domestic politics has contributed significantly to the decline of press freedom in Bulgaria, Bulgarian journalism has also been affected by the global movement of these companies. [File: Denislav Stoychev/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

For Popova, the Bulgarian journalists are responsible. There has to be one unity and commitment to morality.

“In Bulgaria we need strong institutions. [We do not have] organizations that can protect the rights of the press. The Bulgarian Journalistic Union continues to be a post-communist organization, “he said.

According to Marinos, government agencies need to take action to control the media market and prevent the proliferation of media companies in the hands of big business.

He also sees the increase in budgeting for the media as a key factor in making them more open and transparent and representative of the people of Bulgaria.




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