Journalists Protest Outside the Bulgarian Council of Ministers

Journalists from print and electronic media gathered outside the building of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers on 11th of October to protest in defence of the freedom of speech.

The organizers of the Association of the European Journalists stressed that their protest was not political in nature and would therefore not make demands. Their goal is to achieve uniting of the journalists and holding a dialogue about the challenges and problems faced by them.

They gathered to declare their right to work freely and calmly, to ask any questions without worrying that it might cost them their jobs. As a symbol, they brought several empty chairs and put them outside the building of the Council of Ministers. This was prompted by an interview with GERB MP Anton Todorov on 6^th of October for Nova Televizia, where he made remarks about the show host Viktor Nikolaev. Todorov made reference to Nikolaev’s former co-host Ani Tsolova, who was shifted off the programme.

(Asked by Viktor Nikolaev whether the choice of the Gripen fighter jet by the caretaker government of PM Ognian Gerdzhikov was "the product of a certain lot of people", Todorov replied: "You are using very strong words, they will eat your bread, they have already eaten your colleague's bread (referring to Ani Tsolova). She was going a bit into some direction“ Todorov said and told the host to note that Tsolova’s chair was empty.)

Speaking to a BNT reporter, Irina Nedeva, President of the Association of European Journalists said: “It is not about my right to ask questions or your right to ask questions. It is the right of society to ask tough and challenging questions.

Answering a BNT question ”In what direction should this dialogue continue for the future of our profession?”, Nedeva said that It should first start with the recognition by the authorities that they cannot define editorial content in the media.

Ivan Radev from the Association of the European Journalistssaid that journalism is something without which a democratic society cannot exist.

Maria Cheresheva also from the Association of the European Journalists has said that the fair talk is to say that this pressure, which destroys the media environment, is not only a result from government actions, it is in the media itself. Next week we will present our study for a fourth time in which colleagues admit that external pressure is a factor. In over 50% of the polled, 200 colleagues say they were subject to external pressure, but the most serious issues they say are inside the editorial offices, she added.

The organizers of the protest believe that their goal has been achieved, namely that journalists hold an honest conversation about the problems of the profession that have been on the agenda for years.