site.btaPolitical Out-scream Is a Form of Violence on Air, Media Expert Says

Political Out-scream Is a Form
of Violence on Air, Media
Expert Says


Sofia, September 12 (BTA) - Political out-screaming is a form of
violence on air, just as the physical attempts to hinder
investigating journalists were, the Chairman of the Council for
Electronic Media, Georgi Lozanov told BTA. He was commenting on
the attempts to break up an election debate broadcast on a
national TV channel in the morning.

While physical violence is punishable by law, such violent
screams and such intervention is on the political conscience of
the people who do so, Lozanov said, explaining that Friday
morningТs incident was cause for concern because the supporters
of one political force largely succeeded in foiling a live
broadcast of the election campaign.

Politicians should be in the clear that the more a campaign in
the media is free and active the more they themselves will be
able to reach out to their voters, the expert said. Then again,
when one tries not to convince the audience but to hinder others
in voicing their positions, is a form of political
helplessness.

Media campaigns should be conducted in such a manner as to allow
the voters to make their free informed choice, Lozanov said,
stating that he otherwise does not see any significant
violations on the part of the media involved in the campaign.

On Friday morning the top-listed candidates of the Reformist
Bloc, Dimiter Shishkov, and of the Patriotic Front, Slavcho
Atanassov, left the pre-election debate organized by a national
TV channel in the centre of Plovdiv (Southern Bulgaria)
following a series of provocations by supporters of the Movement
for Rights and Freedoms and Ataka which drowned the words of
all speakers except their own candidates. Finally the TV channel
cut the live broadcast.