Weather In Bulgaria On April 30: Cloudy with Rain and Thunderstorms Expected
Over the next 24 hours, much of the country will experience significant cloudiness, accompanied by widespread rain in Central and Eastern Bulgaria
"In 2022, freedom of expression in Bulgaria was subjected to new abuses in the conditions of a full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine. Under the false cover of freedom of speech, the propaganda theses of the aggressor were spread by persons in the highest state positions, representatives of public institutions and public media." This is one of the findings of the report "Human Rights in Bulgaria in 2022", prepared and published by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) and published today.
The decade of economic and political dependence on the media and replacement of the values of freedom of expression have turned Bulgarians into the easiest nation to manipulate in the European Union (EU), the report notes.
"Instead of getting worse, it's getting hopeless"
The expression "Instead of getting worse, it getting hopeless" was used by GERB MP Vezhdi Rashidov on the occasion of the unprecedented failure to elect the speaker of the 48th National Assembly, and in the BHC report it is used to describe the state of the media environment despite the good ranking of Bulgaria in the media freedom index of "Reporters without Borders" in 2022 compared to the previous ones.
Bulgaria continued to demonstrate its inability to guarantee its citizens access to verified, timely, evidence-based information. In the context of Putin's war against Ukraine, the media illiteracy that has developed in recent years has led to an explosion of propaganda speech. These problems were also highlighted in the international reports published during the year, monitoring freedom of expression and media freedom.
The conclusions are based on publications by Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House, Reuters Institute, European Commission, the study "Russian Propaganda in the Bulgarian Media Online" by the Foundation for Humanitarian and Social Research and other documents, which found that President Rumen Radev spoke excessively, "disseminated characteristic of the Russian propaganda narrative". In addition, the show "Politically Incorrect" with host Peter Volgin, the distribution of a propaganda speech in social networks by the leader of "Vazrazhdane" Kostadin Kostadinov.
It concludes that "Russia's invasion of Ukraine was associated with a sharpening of the propaganda narrative, an increase in the number of publications with propagandistic content and a harshening of the language, as well as clear signs of a takeover of the authorities that should protect freedom of expression and the right of citizens to receive reliable and accessible information".
The Electronic Media Council itself during the year was unstable and demonstrated an inability to fulfill the duties delegated to it by law, human rights activists conclude. They remind that the chairwoman Sonia Momchilova "in herself has also become a case, questioning the ability of the EMC to fulfill the legal requirement to be guided by the interests of society, protect freedom of speech, independence of media service providers, media pluralism, cultural and linguistic diversity, consumer protection, accessibility, non-discrimination". This was done by systematically announcing positions incompatible with democratic values, with ethical and professional standards for work in the media. An example is the attacks on the journalist Maria Cheresheva, for her work on an international investigation into the illegal forcible removal of asylum seekers from non-EU borders.
The report notes that last year was marked by unprecedented efforts for Bulgaria to improve the quality of content moderation in the most popular social network in Bulgaria, Facebook.
No progress on the convictions from Strasbourg
Read the full report here.
Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook
Write to us at editors@novinite.com
Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
The National Statistical Institute (NSI) has released comprehensive data shedding light on Bulgaria's demographic dynamics in 2023, revealing both encouraging trends and persistent challenges in the nation's population structure
Today marks the commencement of Holy Week in Bulgaria as Orthodox Christians observe Holy Monday, initiating a period of profound reflection on the final days of Jesus Christ's earthly life leading up to Easter
According to the latest forecast from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH), Western Bulgaria is set to bask in sunshine today, while the eastern regions brace for clouds and rain
New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) underscores concerns over the global surge in antibiotic usage during the Covid-19 pandemic, potentially exacerbating the silent threat of antimicrobial resistance.
The Feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, also known as Palm Sunday (Tsvetnitsa), recounts the historical events that preceded the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Bus line 384, which previously operated between Druzhba-2 district and Sofia Airport, has been officially discontinued, announced the Center for Urban Mobility.
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022