site.btaMedia Regulator Said Coverage of Dec. 1 Protest Was Mostly Professional, Some Broadcasters Focused Too Much on Unrest

The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Thursday said it had conducted focused monitoring of linear and online media coverage of the December 1 protests. The general conclusion is that the coverage of the protests, which were unprecedented in their scale, was mostly professional. Some regulator members said that some of the boadcasts focused excessively on actions of vandals at the end of a Sofia rally that was otherwise peaceful.

On December 1, tens of thousands rallied in Sofia and other large cities to protest the government's budget plans and corruption.

The review covered major broadcasters including Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, bTV, Nova TV, Darik Radio, Euronews Bulgaria, 7/8 TV, and online outlets such as dnevnik.bg and actualno.com.

According to CEM, most broadcasters changed their evening programming schedules to provide live coverage, with several deploying multiple reporting teams, especially in Sofia. The report concludes that media outlets upheld the principles of the Radio and Television Act, ensuring freedom of expression and access to information, while keeping a critical distance from provocateurs and clearly identifying violent actions as unlawful.

CEM members commented that the protests were among the largest in recent history, requiring significant preparation, technical capacity, and on-site experience from reporters. Some members noted that national TV networks treated an exceptional event in a routine manner and focused too heavily on scenes of unrest, potentially misrepresenting the overall character of the protest, which was nationwide, largely youth-led, and of major public significance.

The report also stresses the need to protect journalists working on the ground.

CEM approved the report with five votes in favor.