REPORT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung & Foundation Media Democracy

MEDIA MONITORING LABORATORY

June 2014 Bulgarian Media Monitoring: European election campaign 2014 www.fmd.bg www.kas.de/medien-europa/en As in previous years, in 2014 the At the same time, the expectation and over- Foundation Media Democracy (FMD) attention set in these elections reached the continues the monitoring of the media level of western’s suspense. The elections environment in cooperation with the were presented in the media as extremely, Media Program South East Europe of crucially important – though not as Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). The European elections, but rather as internal report for the period January – May 2014 political ones. Their main stake and motive focuses on the election campaign for the was reduced in the media to the question: European Parliament. “Will there be early elections at home?” The whole campaign in the media revolved The analyses have been prepared by the substantially around that, and the European team of the Media Monitoring Laboratory dimension acquired the nuance of an (Nikoleta Daskalova, Gergana Kutseva, advertising slogan or a luxury accessory. Silvia Petrova, Marina Kirova, Bogdana Dencheva, Eli Aleksandrova, Maya Tsaneva NATIONAL TV CHANNELS AND DAILIES and Vladimir Kisimdarov). The experts Georgi Lozanov and Todor P. Todorov were During the first half of 2014, Boyko Borissov also invited to share their appraisal of the remained the politician who was most current developments in the media frequently mentioned in the monitored environment. Part of the monitoring is media, followed by , based on quantitative and qualitative data and Plamen Oresharski. prepared by Market Links Agency for the Among institutions, Citizens for European joint analysis of FMD and KAS. In summary, Development of (Grazhdani za the main findings, by areas of monitoring, evropeysko razvitie na Bulgaria, include: abbreviated GERB) is in the first place. Behind them are the Movement for Rights MEDIA DISCOURSE and Freedoms (Dvizhenie za prava i svobodi, DPS), the Bulgarian Socialist Party The theme of Europe was scarce in the (Bulgarska sotsialisticheska partiya, BSP) media talk on elections. Outside the and the government. It is obvious that the advertising messages, media proved to be role of DPS in the governance of the country unable to address Europe with the language is becoming increasingly discussed in the and problems it brings. This inability stems media. Borissov and his party retained the from the absence of sufficient dedicated ability to generate attention, although it too journalists, from the weak expert often took the form of critical attitude knowledge of European issues as well as towards them. Here, the principle “there is from the incapability to express and define no such thing as bad publicity” was well them as significant for Bulgarian reality. presented. After all, the intense media There is a certain cultural reflex – the presence can be valuable in itself and bring detachment from Europe, which is electoral success. recognized as “there” and means a distant and foreign place incommensurable with Among characters who expressed attitude, “our” reality. Nikolay Barekov aggressively displaced

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung & Boyko Borissov and Sergey Stanishev: a chose parties towards which the media have Foundation Media Democracy clear indication of the media rise of the a clearer attitude and punished those who former journalist and present politician. In seemed more controversial. MEDIA MONITORING this year, his word on key issues imper- LABORATORY ceptibly turned into a media priority. Prime PUBLIC BROADCASTERS AND Minister Oresharski is only in the fifth place SPECIALIZED INFORMATION MEDIA June 2014 – a fact highlighting his efforts to maintain an expert image and not a political one. The public service and specialized electronic www.fmd.bg and online information media (BNT, BNR, TV www.kas.de/medien-europa/en In television, several important trends Europe, Bulgaria on Air, www.dnevnik.bg, emerged. Compared to the press, here the www.europe.bg) put efforts for voters to politics was given a greater information make informed choice on the “Europe” importance. In all four monitored media, theme. Compared with the rest of the the attitudes towards the government, media, they maintained the most neutral Sergey Stanishev, Boyko Borissov and attitude towards the candidates for the GERB range between the negative and European Parliament and offered a deeper neutral. The most consensual is the attitude observation of the work of the European towards DPS – it is positive virtually institutions. Brussels- relations were everywhere. And vice versa, the most discussed through the expertise of current polarized is the attitude towards BSP and members of the European Parliament, the President. For BSP it fluctuates between academics and analysts. However, the the negative (in bTV and BNT) and positive published reports of the former Bulgarian (in TV7). The attitudes towards Rosen members of the EP as well as the Plevneliev in turn are divided between information and analytical materials on critical (TV7) and rather affirmative (NOVA). Brussels institutions and on the elections in other Member States proved to be of no In dailies, the attitude towards Boyko interest for the audience. The debates on Borissov, GERB and Rosen Plevneliev was the European Commission President did not clearly negative. With Sergey Stanishev and arouse serious interest or discussion, either. DPS it ranges between the negative and The issues of energy policy, Europe-Russia neutral. In the print editions as well as in relations, the crisis in Ukraine, the electronic media, BSP again strongly expansion of the labor market, the polarized the attitudes: they are placed management of the refugee flow and the between criticism (Sega) and positive absorption of EU funds were popular, but at announcement (Telegraph). The press also operational national level and not in the polarized the attitude towards the context of the EU policies. government. Opposing are the attitudes of Sega (negative) and of Telegraph (positive). ONLINE MEDIA AND NEWS SITES The media ratings representing the ratio between the positive and negative coverage In the period of January – May 2014, online remained negative for all monitored media often reproduced and collaged news politicians, except for the Prime Minister strategies and repertoires arousing Plamen Oresharski (1.4) and Nikolay associations of earlier processes and events. Barekov (1.0). Volen Siderov has the lowest The Chairman of GERB Boyko Borissov media rating (- 9.3), followed by Boyko came back again in the role of a central Borissov (- 8.7). However, this did not media hero – regardless of the variable and prevent Borissov from winning the elections conjunctural nature of the media attitude for the European Parliament, and Siderov towards him he continued to be a high- from asking to annul them. In the elections, rating news person. Political actors, ultimately, the parties described by the supported by the media framing itself, tried media as either “bad” (GERB) or relatively to recreate the confrontation model set by “good” (DPS, Bulgaria Without Censorship) Borissov and Stanishev in 2009 – with did best. Those who most polarize the personalized, dramatic and hot conflicts media attitude lost (BSP). It seems voters serving the media commercial logic. Media

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung & fighting in 2014, however, did not manage Again, women were more active in the Foundation Media Democracy to reach the charge of those of five years lifestyle sphere and femininity was often ago. As a general rule, the media campaign used as a means of political advertising. MEDIA MONITORING for the European Parliament was led by the With the help of lifestyle tools, the tendency LABORATORY party leaders – whether or not the relevant to coalescence between media and politics leaders were present in the electoral lists of was legitimized. June 2014 the parties. The candidates for the President of the European Commission of the major YELLOW PRESS www.fmd.bg European parties remained in the periphery www.kas.de/medien-europa/en of the media interest, although the outgoing In the third election campaign, after their EP President Martin Schulz enjoyed some appearance, the daily tabloids continued to informational advantage. function in an ecosystem of their own in which the creation of rumors and paparazzi The events in Ukraine were dominant news content remained the norm. The absence of background of the campaign. Although not important topics and rearrangement of the Ukraine itself, but rather Russia turned into political images in both editions led to a central subject of comments. Pro- or anti- clearance of space and focusing on new Russian sounding was clearly present in the political characters as Nikolay Barekov and media coverage. The attitude towards his formation “Bulgaria Without Censorship” Russia was entangled in another key issue (BWC). Other popular characters from the on the online media agenda – the issue of beginning of the year until the end of the energy policy. At the very climax of the campaign were: the MEP candidates Volen campaign – the month of the official Siderov (Ataka), Ivaylo Kalfin (ABV), Sergey agitation – the sites significantly narrowed Stanishev (BSP) and the diversity of the topics covered and (Reformist Bloc), the former President and focused their news resources onto the leader of ABV , the current electoral process, especially on its head of state Rosen Plevneliev, the Prime competitive and formal character. Minister Plamen Oresharski, the GERB leader Boyko Borissov. The tabloids often LIFESTYLE MEDIA demonstrated their biases or antipathy to the political figures. Vseki Den led three In the lifestyle area, the election campaign negative campaigns simultaneously – for the European Parliament passed without against Meglena Kuneva, Georgi Parvanov any major surprises with regard to the and Rosen Plevneliev, while presenting at figures of the main participants. MEP the same time Plamen Oresharski as a candidates basically repeated lifestyle hardworking, stable and EU money standards set in previous campaigns. Only absorbing prime minister. Compared to the candidates of “Bulgaria Without Vseki Den, the newspaper Bulgaria Dnes Censorship” as a new player on the political remained softer in its assessments of the scene were more focused on the details of representatives of the Bulgarian political their lifestyle. Their accent was the life. “people’s”, “pre-modern” lifestyle with an emphasis on machismo and the clear BLOGOSPHERE separation of gender roles. The figures of this new political formation were the ones With their repeated insistence on voting, the who were the most active in their lifestyle active citizens on Twitter and the expression, followed by the representatives blogosphere yet again showed that they are of GERB and the Coalition for Bulgaria. part of the most active layers of society. In the whole campaign, politics was Along with the election theme, the civil constantly put in analogy with private interest in the network focused on the space, domestic sphere and body. Thus the theme of Russia – in the context of the voter was presented as an immature situation in Ukraine and Crimea and in individual who needs parental (maternal or relation to energy projects and specifically paternal in different political concepts) care. South Stream. In addition to the concerns

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung & that Russia is pulling the strings of Pictures of all kinds of events, agitation Foundation Media Democracy Bulgarian rulers, the blogosphere also video clips and appeals, effective profile produced alarming warnings of deliberate visualizations and layouts were also MEDIA MONITORING polarization of the society into Russophobes reinforced by advertising messages which LABORATORY and Russophiles. were distributed among targeted audience Citizens continued expressing their in the network. The candidates with less June 2014 dissatisfaction with the representatives of potential and more limited opportunities for all major political forces and the presence in the traditional media advertised www.fmd.bg government (Sergey Stanishev, Boyko themselves in Facebook the most actively. www.kas.de/medien-europa/en Borissov, Lyutvi Mestan, Delyan Peevski, Volen Siderov, Plamen Oresharski, Nikolay The leadership in the political characters Barekov, Tsvetan Tsvetanov) with approval continued to be held by Boyko comments in negative, ironic and even Borissov, followed by Meglena Kuneva, sneering tone. Partially positive attitude was Sergey Stanishev and Antoniya Parvanova. expressed towards the representatives of As in the parliamentary elections in 2013, the Reformist Bloc. Overall, the European the most popular party in the social network Parliament elections provoked strong was “Glas Naroden”. “Bulgaria Without emotions on Twitter, and the politicians with Censorship” took second place, followed by profiles in the microblogging platform used “Ataka”, ABV and the Reformist Bloc. the network to refer to official pre-election information, to agitate or to attack POLITICAL ADVERTISING opponents. As in the previous EP elections, in 2014, too, there has been a marked The overall tone of the election campaign in resurgence in the politicians’ online the political advertising area was rather activation. An important trend is the positive. A significant exception was the declining function of political blogs – more advertising clip of the party “Ataka”, in and more politicians abandon their blogs which two value models were opposed and switch to the creation of professionally through the use of hate speech – the “Euro- maintained personal web pages. Atlantic” and the “Orthodox-Christian”. The Council for Electronic Media and the Central FACEBOOK Election Commission responded adequately and stopped the broadcasting of the clip. The 2014 European elections campaign went off with active presence of the In the course of the campaign, the most candidates on Facebook. Compared to the frequent was the advertising of “Coalition online agitation in the previous European for Bulgaria” and “Bulgaria Without Parliament elections in 2009, when the Censorship”. GERB showed low activity. social network was only making its way as a Bringing forward the advantages of the own means of communicating with potential policy and rejecting (direct, indirect) the voters, now it was a mandatory, although opponent’s policy was distinguished as the not priority, element in the strategies of the preferred approach in the advertising majority of the participants. The politicians messages of most parties. Such tactics was themselves organized their own spaces in employed by BSP, BWC, DPS and some the website, on the territory of which both other smaller parties. The participants in the supporters and their detractors gathered. A election campaign focused on internal new phenomenon in the course of the political issues, and Europe remained in the campaign was the redirecting of users from background. Among the issues the most the leaders’ personal profiles to the parties’ frequently mentioned in the advertising web pages on Facebook. messages were unemployment, income, jobs. The Russia theme was rarely included, Contact The political advertising on Facebook was an partly in the advertising campaigns of the important instrument of the election Reformist Bloc and “Ataka”. Most Nikoleta Daskalova campaign, along with the constant updating participants actively used the Internet as an of the content in the different pages. advertising medium. [email protected]