site.btaTechnological Pressure Changes the Way News Is Created, Says Council for Electronic Media Chair

Technological pressure is changing the way news is created, Chair of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Gabriela Naplatanova said on Tuesday at the opening of a discussion titled Journalists and the Media in the Mirror of the Code of Ethics.

The forum is organized by the Union of Bulgarian Journalists in collaboration with Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski.

Today marks the first day of Naplatanova’s second term as a member of the CEM. She was elected chair of the regulator at a meeting on April 23.

“There is much to be said about journalistic ethics. Codes have been written, and the basic rules that carry particular weight in public media are well known,” Naplatanova said. She added that at the core is adherence to the principles of freedom of speech, impartiality and solidarity, as well as many professional standards that are often neglected today.

“We must not forget the basic rules governing a journalist’s duty to present all points of view, avoid bias, show tolerance and act ethically, especially toward victims of violence. The way young children are portrayed is very important,” she said, adding that journalists must always be prepared to cover crisis situations.

She told young people they are welcome at the CEM at any time to see what the media regulator does.

"Technological pressure is changing the way news is created, and the time interval for fact-checking is shrinking," Naplatanova added. She noted that when using artificial intelligence, there must be human oversight at every stage.