site.btaJournalists Stand Up for bTV Hosts as Media Freedom Concerns Rise

Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) called on journalists and the public to join a protest in solidarity with bTV morning show hosts Maria Tsantsarova and Zlatimir Yochev on Friday. The group said the action would be held outside the broadcaster’s newsroom amid reports that Tsantsarova may be taken off air.

The reason, the statement said, is the widely circulated reports that Tsantsarova, and likely her colleague Yochev, are being removed as hosts of bTV’s morning programme This Morning. Tsantsarova has been the target of political attacks for years, and AEJ-Bulgaria has repeatedly defended her. For months, tabloid media have been running a campaign against her, including by spreading claims that she would be taken off air, the statement added.

“We are concerned about the risk of yet another purge of critical voices from Bulgaria’s national airwaves. We urge bTV’s management to take a prudent decision that serves the public interest and complies with the laws safeguarding freedom of expression. We also remind that Bulgaria must fulfil its obligations under the European Media Freedom Act, which protects media outlets, public and private alike, from political interference. Unfortunately, what is happening with Maria creates precisely that impression: yet another heavy-handed act of political pressure against independent journalism in Bulgaria. We call on colleagues in bTV’s newsroom and across the media sector, as well as on Bulgarian citizens who care about the country’s democratic processes, to join us and show solidarity with the hosts,” the statement said.

“Freedom of speech is not a matter of convenience. It is a risk, for journalists and for politicians alike. Maria Tsantsarova is a journalist with integrity and her own views. Her interviews show that a strong politician should not fear journalistic scrutiny. The conclusion is that a strong politician understands that comfortable silence is the most dangerous thing. That is why transparency is essential and trust is fragile. That is why we should obtain the media outlet’s position as soon as possible, so there is no speculation on the matter,” Denitsa Sacheva of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group wrote on social media.

“Freedom of speech is defended with transparency and principles, and above all with the courage to ask questions and the courage to accept the answers,” Sacheva added.

Elisaveta Belobradova of Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria described Tsantsarova as “a real journalist.” Writing on social media, she addressed journalists more broadly, saying: “This is an act directed at you — yet another one. And silence in this case is an assessment of the act, an assessment of the violence." 

BTA requested comment from bTV. The broadcaster said it is in talks with Tsantsarova and is discussing options for developing programme content with her active involvement in the new year, which it described as standard practice. “Claims that Maria Tsantsarova and Zlatimir Yochev have been dismissed are untrue and categorically do not reflect the facts,” bTV said.

After it became public that bTV’s management was considering taking Maria Tsantsarova off the morning broadcast, the Faculty of Slavic Studies said such decisions are not merely internal policy but affect the foundations of public debate.

Removing a journalist known for persistently asking difficult questions, at a time of heightened public and political pressure, cannot be treated as a routine programming change, the Faculty argued. It said this risks normalizing pressure on critical speech and narrowing debate.

The Faculty called on bTV to provide a public, specific explanation and a clear guarantee that editorial independence is not being replaced by conformism, and expressed solidarity with journalists and newsrooms that insist on the right to ask questions.

In late September 2025, an international fact-finding mission by press-freedom organizations visited Sofia and concluded that Bulgaria remains among the EU countries with the most serious media-freedom deficits. Speaking at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club, AEJ-Bulgaria’s Irina Nedeva said journalists were increasingly being denied interviews and answers to critical questions, and were facing delays and hostility when seeking information. BTA has also reported that Bulgaria fell from 59th to 70th place in the Reporters Without Borders media-freedom index, with the RSF assessment pointing to persistent intimidation of journalists, risks to editorial independence in both public and private media, and pressure through SLAPP cases.