Journalism which is objective, committed to the public interest and displays a responsible attitude is the basis of democracy, President Rosen Plevneliev said. He opened the third public discussion “Dialogue with the citizens” on the topic “What is the future for the Bulgarian media?” in Sofia. Journalism has a missionary significance for each democratic state. However it can not only be a catalyst of the democratic development, but also perform the opposite role – when the media suffer from vague dependencies, the Head of State said before more than 250 participants in the forum.
Rosen Plevneliev recalled that the independent and objective media are a fundamental value of any democracy and must be developed, including with the help of the state’s determined efforts. “As a fourth power, the media are independent and free. However, this does not mean that they should not be subject to criticism. The independence of the media is no longer a value when words are used to tarnish the reputation of the opponent – the latter have the right to have their voice heard as much as friends do,” the Head of State commented, noting that Bulgaria dramatically slipped to lower positions in the international rankings on the freedom of speech and the quality of the media content. “The international observers need not indicate the problems, the citizens already did it,” the President added.
The Head of State raised the issue of the state’s stimulating role in strengthening the media environment, which, however, should not boil down to using the public resources, including those provided by the European structural instruments. “European solidarity should not become one of the means used by the power holders to exert influence on the media and their editorial policy. In order to have a functioning system, emphasis should be laid on the transparency of ownership and distribution, the protection against libel, as well as on avoiding exerting pressure on journalists,” the President was adamant. Namely the unclear ownership, the pressure on the journalists and the non-transparent distribution of public funds are among the main problems the citizens pinpoint in the opinion poll published on the website www.president.bg, devoted to the discussion.
“The media are not simply a means of doing business with information, but a means to exert influence and the private monopoly is not less dangerous than the state one,” Rosen Plevneliev further commented. He voiced his support for ensuring transparency not only of the publishing activities, but also of the distribution activities. The President further called on the media not only to read the Ethics Code, but also to comply with it. “Pluralism and the freedom of speech are problematic not only for Bulgaria, but also for other European countries. I hope that the conclusions the discussion will reach will contribute to overcoming these problems,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said at the beginning of the discussion about the state of the media and the media environment in Bulgaria.