site.btaCouncil of Electronic Media Finds Violations in Media Coverage of Migrant Issue

The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) found violations in the media coverage of the migrant issue, it became clear from a report presented at a meeting on Thursday by the Monitoring and Analysis Directorate of the regulator.

The monitoring was carried out in the period from March 8 to 18. "The concrete reason for raising the migrant issue in the public space are three incidents of brawls since the beginning of March, which were covered by the media through a number of reports and comments in the services of the providers," said Zornitsa Gyurova from CEM's monitoring directorate.

The monitored media outlets include the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), bTV, Nova TV, Bulgaria on Air, Euronews Bulgaria, Nova News, Eurocom, Bulgaria 24, SKAT, 7/8 TV, Alfa TV, PIK TV, Horizont, Darik Radio - Bulgaria, Actualno, Gospodari, Dir BG, Blitz, Dnevnik and the Vbox7 platform.

The monitoring of the facts as a whole outlines a factual picture that is not clear and accurate enough in all the monitored media, Gyurova pointed out. 

In her words, most of the information is neutral, but there are comments in the media that build a negative image of foreign citizens, migrants and refugees. They present them solely as invaders, criminals, devoid of manners and decorum, lawless, bent on the social benefits and wealth of Western societies, Gyurova added. The report noted that few media seek and find the point of view of foreigners residing in the country.

The monitoring found the presence of hate speech on Alpha TV. After the period of focused monitoring, it was found that on April 1 of this year, a report about a protest of youth organizations against migrants in Bulgaria was broadcast on SKAT, which suggests ethnic intolerance, Gyurova said.

The report was not put to a vote for adoption by CEM members. Instead, it was decided to extend the scope of the focused monitoring.