BULGARIA MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2019 Tracking Development of Sustainable Independent Media Around the World BULGARIA AT A GLANCE GENERAL MEDIA-SPECIFIC ▶ Population: 7,050,034 (CIA World Factbook, ▶ Languages: (% of population): Bulgarian ▶ Number of active print outlets, radio ▶ Broadcast ratings: bTV: 24.27% share, Nova July 2018 est.) (official) 76.8%, Turkish 8.2%, Romani 3.8%, stations, television stations: TV: 21.65% share, BNT Channel 1: 4.03% ▶ Capital City: Sofia other 0.7%, unspecified 10.5% (CIA World ▶ Print: 245 newspapers, 603 magazines share source: Nielsen Admosphere Bulgaria, Factbook, 2011 est.) October 2017 ▶ Ethnic groups: (% of population): Bulgarian (National Statistical Institute, 2017); Radio 76.9%, Turkish 8%, Romani 4.4%, other 0.7% ▶ GNI: (2016 - Atlas): $53.69 billion (World stations: 85 (Council of Electronic Media, ▶ Internet usage: 72.1% of households (including Russian, Armenian, and Vlach), Bank Development Indicators, 2017) 2018); Television stations: 113 (Council of (National Statistical Institute, 2018) other (unknown) 10% (CIA World Factbook, ▶ GNI per capita: (2016 - PPP): $17,880 (World Electronic Media, 2018) 2011 est.) Bank Development Indicators, 2017) ▶ Newspaper circulation statistics: 196,288 ▶ Religions: (% of population): Eastern ▶ Literacy rate: 98.4% (male 98.7%, female total (National Statistical Institute, 2017); Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim 7.8%, other 98.1%) (CIA World Factbook, 2015 est.) certified individual newspaper circulations not available (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian ▶ President or top authority: President Apostolic Orthodox, and Jewish) 1.7%, Rumen Radev (since January 22, 2017) ▶ News agencies: Bulgarian News Agency none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4% (CIA World (state), Focus News (private), BGNes (private) Factbook, 2011 est.) MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX: BULGARIA SCORE KEY Unsustainable, Anti-Free Press (0–1): Country does not meet or only minimally meets objectives. Government and laws actively hinder free media development, professionalism SUSTAINABLE is low, and media-industry activity is minimal. Unsustainable Mixed System (1–2): Country minimally meets objectives, with segments of the legal system and NEAR government opposed to a free media system. Evident progress in free-press advocacy, increased professionalism, and new SUSTAINABILITY 2.35 2.33 media businesses may be too recent to judge sustainability. 2.19 2.16 2.16 2.18 2.11 2.11 2.11 2.07 2.06 2.04 2.02 1.97 1.94 1.95 1.91 Near Sustainability (2–3): Country has progressed in meeting 1.90 1.76 1.75 multiple objectives, with legal norms, professionalism, and the 1.70 1.64 SUSTAINABILITY 1.58 business environment supportive of independent media. Advances 1.53 1.53 1.53 1.48 1.44 MIXED SYSTEM UNSUSTAINABLE have survived changes in government and have been codified in 1.35 1.33 law and practice. However, more time may be needed to ensure that change is enduring and that increased professionalism and the media business environment are sustainable. Sustainable (3–4): Country has media that are considered 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 UNSUSTAINABLE ANTI-FREE PRESS generally professional, free, and sustainable, or to be approaching FREE PROFESSIONAL PLURALITY OF BUSINESS SUPPORTING SPEECH JOURNALISM NEWS SOURCES MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS these objectives. Systems supporting independent media have survived multiple governments, economic fluctuations, OBJECTIVES and changes in public opinion or social conventions. Scores for all years may be found online at https://www.irex.org/msi he year of 2018 began with Bulgaria taking the In its most recent annual report on judicial reform OVERALL helm of the European Union (EU) for a rotating and organized crime in Bulgaria, the EU said the SCORE six-month term. Among its priorities was to country’s deteriorating media environment has advance Western Balkan countries’ links to particular obstacles with transparency, accountability, the EU and their eventual membership in the and the public’s access to reliable information. 1.89 bloc. By midyear, just after relinquishing the EU Further, the 2018 European Media Pluralism Monitor, Tpresidency, Bulgaria had refused to ratify a Council of conducted by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Europe convention meant to combat domestic violence. Media Freedom, concluded that pluralism in Bulgarian While participants in the Bulgaria In the fall, an investigative reporter was murdered media was imperiled by highly concentrated media MSI discussion have continued in the northern city of Ruse, leading to speculation ownership, media owners’ improper influence, and to give low grades to the media that she was killed in retaliation for her work. That an unregulated system for placing state advertising. environment across all five speculation ended, however, when police in Germany The Monitor also cited the dangers of “soft censorship objectives, Bulgaria’s overall score arrested a Bulgarian man who confessed to the crime and self-censorship; manipulation of editorial content; increased from 1.81 in last year’s as a random attack. In November, Bulgarian authorities media market deformation; use of EU funds for buying study to 1.89. Despite this modest arrested high-ranking officials and accused them of media compliance and paying for smear campaigns gain, the country remains in the selling false documents to people from nearby non-EU against political opponents.” unsustainable MSI classification. countries. The intent was to enable them to obtain In 2018, Bulgarian politicians continued to try to grab Objective 1 (freedom of speech) Bulgarian passports, with which they could live and the reins of public media. Vezhdi Rashidov, chair of saw a decline, reflecting a work in any EU country. A short time later, a deputy parliament’s Culture and Media Committee, suggested general weakness of the rule prime minister stepped down after weeks of protests consolidating the three public outlets (Bulgarian of law and uneven application spurred by his insults of activists for the disabled. of laws and protections that National Television (BNT), Bulgarian National Radio do exist, among other factors. The summary above reflects the environment in which (BNR), and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA)). Additionally, as Bulgaria’s Bulgarian journalists work. It’s a country making fitful Journalists and other media professionals have media scene is a patchwork progress, held back sometimes by a decades-old repeatedly rejected the idea, fearing that that structure of outlets used to advance history of corruption and often wracked by political would be more vulnerable to government control owner interests and handicap protests. Moreover, Bulgaria has seen a steep decline than three separate public entities, each with its own rivals, professional standards in media freedoms since it joined the union in 2007. governance structure. suffer. Journalists increasingly In just over a decade, it has plummeted from 36th to practice self-censorship to 111th place in Reporters Without Borders’ ranking for protect themselves from political, freedom of the media. corporate, and criminal pressure. 3 MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2019 BULGARIA OBJECTIVE 1: These issues have eroded citizens’ confidence properties to attack rivals or to court favor with the in the media. A September 2018 study by the government. FREEDOM OF 2.02 SPEECH respected Alfa Research agency found that only Broadcasters in Bulgaria must be licensed 10 percent of Bulgarians trust journalists and by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM). The Freedom of speech is protected by the Bulgarian 63 percent do not believe the country’s press is president appoints some of the council’s members, constitution and legislation. The constitution independent. and parliament chooses others. According to the states that “the press and other media are free Panelists noted that despite the clear conflict of panelists, there is a widespread belief that the and not subject to censorship.” Nevertheless, the interest, some parliament members that own media appointment process is politicized. country suffers from a general weakness of the properties sponsor media-related legislation. One rule of law and authorities do not always apply of the most brazen is Delyan Peevski, a member of Legal and social norms protect and promote these norms and protections. the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Peevski free speech and access to public information. owns the Monitor, Telegraph, Politics, Meridian Match, European legal standards have been incorporated and Borba newspapers and holds sway over others. FREE-SPEECH INDICATORS into Bulgarian media law, but the law is often Last year, he pushed through parliament a law ▶ Legal and social ▶ Libel is a civil law issue; circumvented or even changed to favor powerful requiring media properties to disclose their sources protections of free public officials are held speech exist and to higher standards, interests, said panelist Nelly Ognyanova, a professor of funding aside from their own business activities. are enforced. and offended parties at Sofia University. What is more, bodies that would The law’s reach is highly selective: it does not must prove falsity traditionally defend the integrity of media law are require disclosure of the business model behind his ▶ Licensing of broadcast and malice. media is fair, competitive, themselves compromised. “The independence own