site.btaJournalists Are Responsible Both to Audiences and to Professional Standards - BNT Director General Milotinova

Addressing a forum on "Journalists and Media in the Mirror of the Code of Ethics" on Tuesday, Milena Milotinova, Director General of Bulgarian National Television (BNT), said journalists are accountable both to their audiences and to the rules of their profession.

The forum, held at the St Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, is organized by the Union of Bulgarian Journalists in partnership with the university.

"Ethical rules are the foundation of everything. They lie at the core of our work," Milotinova said. According to her, journalists bear responsibility "both to the audience and to the professional standards under which we operate".

Milotinova said she had witnessed the drafting of the journalistic code of ethics in 2004, which she believes incorporated the best media practices of its time. "I believe this is a solid foundation on which we can continue to build," the BNT Director General added.

She further explained that, in the course of their work, journalists often encounter cases that raise complex questions: "We may not find all the answers in the code of ethics, but practice shows there are moments that prompt us to further develop the rules we have established."