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### Viewing cable 09SOFIA304, BULGARIAN MEDIA: LACKING MONEY AND MORALS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09SOFIA304 | 2009-06-18 14:02 | 2011-05-03 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Sofia
Appears in these articles: http://www.bivol.bg

`

    VZCZCXYZ0012
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHSF #0304/01 1691416
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 181416Z JUN 09 ZDK
    FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA
    TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6086

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 000304

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2029
    TAGS: PGOV PREL KCOR KCRCM BU
    SUBJECT: BULGARIAN MEDIA: LACKING MONEY AND MORALS

    Classified By: Ambassador McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

    ¶1.  (C)  Summary:  Bulgarian media is highly manipulated and
    increasingly concentrated in fewer hands.  Reporters and
    editors accept bribes to cover stories, to print propaganda
    articles as though they were news, and to not print
    information that sponsors do not approve.  The media's
    cooption obviously limits its ability to serve as a voice for
    civil society.  With elections for the national parliament
    around the corner, the consequences of concentrated media
    ownership and corrupt journalism are already on full display.
     Though some independent outlets are surviving, the public
    has largely lost faith in mainstream media and is turning to
    tabloids for diversion.  End Summary.

    ¶2.  (C)  With the overabundance of both traditional and new
    media outlets, many cannot survive on advertisement revenues
    alone and are reliant on donors.  The new local private media
    owners, who unlike their predecessors have no journalistic
    background, use the media to influence the public and promote
    their business interests through the selected release of
    information and targeted attacks.  Among the more dominant
    players is the recently formed conglomerate New Media Group,
    which is speculated to own three national dailies and one
    weekly newspaper, one regional newspaper and one television
    station, with rumored plans to purchase another.  The Group
    jump-started in the summer of 2007 with the acquisition of
    three papers, one of which, the Telegraph Daily, has become
    the largest circulation daily with over 100,000 copies on
    Saturdays and 60,000-70,000 on workdays.  The Group is
    rumored to belong to the circle of companies close to the
    current junior government coalition partner, the Movement for
    Rights and Freedom (MRF) political party.  The reported head
    of the Group, Irena Krustova, is a former government official
    with no credible means to afford such an investment.

    ¶3.  (C)  Local media outlets regularly practice
    self-censorship and even have black lists of politicians and
    rival businessmen that are neither interviewed nor covered.
    The New Media Group recently printed the exact same article
    in all of its newspapers in apparent targeted attacks against
    its business and political enemies.  The Group has resorted
    to this practice on at least two previous occasions, the
    January gas crisis and the April garbage crisis in Sofia.
    The national daily Sega and the Standart daily have been
    criticized for more subtly representing the interests of
    their business mogul owners.  Similar trends are visible in
    television media, except at a much higher cost to business
    and political interests.

    ¶4.  (C)  By contrast, the German media group WAZ, which owns
    two daily papers, Trud Daily and 24 Hours, with total
    circulation of over 150,000 copies, is considered more
    focused on the bottom line.  The emphasis on revenues has led
    to more sensational articles in both papers, lowering the
    overall quality.  With the foreign owners' lack of
    familiarity and interest in the local political scene, the
    chief editors of the papers largely determine reporting on
    domestic politics.  While these papers are not known to
    maintain blacklists, certain politicians receive clear
    preferential coverage, allegedly based on personal
    friendships with the chief editors.

    ¶5.  (C)  With the emergence of new media and countless
    short-lived papers, many mainstream papers complain that
    their readership has decreased.  During the election season,
    editors say that readership typically drops further because
    readers "know" the stories are paid for.  Companies reduce
    their advertisements and instead, act as intermediaries
    purchasing advertisement space for political parties.  With
    the decrease in revenue and reporters, smaller papers
    sometimes resort to covering the news by watching television,
    which often offers sponsored news coverage.  Though under
    strain, larger newspapers continue to have enough staff to
    cover major events.  Privately, journalists say that
    political parties pay reporters, editors, and TV producers
    for interviews and news coverage, which appears without any
    financial disclosure.  Political parties also openly sponsor
    papers, such as Duma (Socialists) and Ataka newspaper and TV
    Skat sponsored by the nationalist party Ataka, which are
    easily identifiable.

    ¶6.  (C)  Accustomed to manipulation of the press, the
    Bulgarian public has turned to tabloids for diversion.  The
    print media market has been flooded with short-lived yellow
    newspapers with anonymous owners.  Mainstream editors allege
    that these owners operate in the gray economy, evading taxes
    and basic journalistic ethics.  Because of murky ownership
    and the prevalence of unsigned articles the public has no
    protection against libelous stories printed in them.  The
    tabloid weeklies, Weekend and Show, are among the most
    popular and influential papers, with total circulation over
    450,000 copies.  The expansion in readership has prompted
    even serious politicians to grant the tabloids interviews.
    Days before the European elections, the PM gave an extensive
    interview for Weekend promoting his party's ideas.

    ¶7.  (C)  Candidates across the political spectrum know how
    the game is played.  Journalists described MRF's current
    strong play for media influence as part of a long-standing
    tradition of political figures investing in media when their
    power is challenged.  The Socialists and the liberal-leaning
    King's party also have a well-established history of paying
    for press coverage.  The opposition center-right parties (DSB
    and UDF) previously paid only for advertisements.  In the
    past, GERB relied mainly on the charisma of the party's
    informal leader Boiko Borissov for coverage, who often called
    or texted journalists directly.

    ¶8.  (C)  Comment:  Most Bulgarians get their basic news from
    TV, not papers.  But, print journalism is the political
    opinion driver, and many TV news programs feature headlines
    and articles from the papers, extending their influence far
    beyond the circulation numbers.  Overall, gray sector players
    and business practices are seriously threatening
    investigative journalism and media pluralism in Bulgaria.
    End comment.
    McEldowney

`