Bulgarian National Television Was the First Choice of Viewers for Objective Information During the Elections

More than 50% of Bulgarians have a positive attitude toward Bulgarian National Television (BNT). The public broadcaster is also the leader in perceived credibility, with 36.4% of respondents identifying it as the media providing the most objective information and ranking it first among the major television channels, while competing broadcasters remain at 20.2% trust.

This is according to the results of a survey by the polling agency “Myara” on Media Attitudes of Audiences During the Election Campaign for Members of Parliament.

Council for Electronic Media presented today, May 14, its report on election observation, prepared for the Central Election Commission.

The report also found that Bulgarian National Television provided the highest amount of sign-language interpretation during the election campaign.

According to the findings, BNT complied with the agreement signed with 22 political parties during the campaign period.

According to the report, 55% of the opportunities provided to election participants to present their platforms were offered free of charge. The conclusion was that Bulgarian National Television fulfilled its role as a public service broadcaster, having aired the legally required opening and closing campaign clips, debates, and interviews.

A sociological study by the “Myara” agency was also presented to the Council for Electronic Media. The survey was conducted in April among 1,002 adult Bulgarians.

Yanitsa Petkova from “Myara”:“Bulgarian National Television gathers the largest share of public trust — 36.4%. Large private television channels are the preferred source of information for 20.2%, while smaller private television channels account for slightly more than one-tenth.”

Parvan Simeonov from the “Myara” sociological agency commented: “Public media stand out sharply in this situation; they prove to be a sufficiently reliable source of information. “More than that — there is almost an automatic public reflex of trust here when it comes to Bulgarian National Television and Bulgarian National Radio.”

Photos by BTA

Milena Milotinova, Director General of the Bulgarian National Television:

“The trust that viewers place in us is a responsibility we take seriously. I am very happy that we are leaders in public trust. I am especially pleased with the responses to the question, ‘Which type of television provides the most objective information?’, where BNT is the undisputed leader with a very strong result. Thank you, dear viewers! Thank you for your trust! It obliges us, of course, to continue building on that trust in the future.”