site.btaBTA Director General Presents Certificates to Participants of 3rd Young Journalists Training Programme

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev Wednesday presented certificates to the participants in the third training programme for young journalists from national and regional media in Bulgaria. The training was organized by BTA in partnership with the European Parliament (EP) and was attended by 14 journalists from this country.

The national module of the three-day training finished on Wednesday. Some of the participants will also take part in the European module and will have the opportunity to visit the EP in Brussels. Over the course of the training, the participants have learned about the functioning of EU institutions, the core values of the EU, European elections and the disinformation campaigns surrounding them, and the role of the media.

During the awarding ceremony, Valchev said that it is generally considered that a reporter, a journalist conveys what they see on the spot, but that is by no means enough. “Journalists need to have a very thorough knowledge of each subject they cover. In fact, we are constantly confronted, not only in Bulgaria but around the world, with a superficial narrative of the news," the BTA Director General noted.

Valchev also pointed out that there is a big difference between journalists and people who write on social networks. "The journalist is responsible. And the media outlet they represent also bears editorial responsibility," he said. To avoid the problem of irresponsibility on social networks, BTA only allows comments from people who can be identified, Valchev added.

According to him, Bulgarian journalists do not know enough about the coverage of European issues and Bulgarian participation in them, that is why the European Parliament (EP) and its representation in Sofia are looking for an option how to educate Bulgarian journalists, especially young journalists, about these topics. Moreover, the EP aims to give the opportunity to those young people who want to work in this field to get acquainted with the European institutions on the spot in Brussels, in Strasbourg, Valchev said. 

He further explained that some of the most important rules in BTA are to give background and context to the news. "Such a training gives you the opportunity to look for the European context on any topic in Bulgaria, how the issue is solved at our common Union level, in the European Union”, Valchev added.

The EP Training Programme for Young European Journalists is organized in more than 20 EU Member States.