Criminals in Bulgaria have realized controlling the press is a component for success because the power to influence individuals and society becomes great.
In a recent Reporters Without Borders (RWB) article it was reported that Bulgaria—a country seeking to further democratize since the early 1990s—has had criminal organizations dominating the press.
According to RWB, the economy is threatening news diversity along with the survival of investigative reporting.
And things do not appear to be progressing for this country that joined the European Union in 2007.
In fact, many journalists are censoring their own work. Conversely, others continue to produce the same work. This can be risky though as there have been murders against reporters—Georgy Stoev in April 2008—and fierce attacks—Ognyan Stefanov in September 2008—who choose not to censor.
It is a reminder of dangers that could happen to journalists if they do not let the press become "nothing more than a communication tool in the service of private interests."
Now, Bulgaria's press is not the only country in the EU victim to organized crime pressures and violence.
In Italy there are approximately 10 journalists who are receiving police protection. Denmark and France fall into this category as well, protecting their journalists via police officers.
Spain, however, has the ETA that keeps pressuring journalists who advocate media rights and are critical of terrorism, to censor.
RWB secretary general Jean-Francois Julliard believes that the crime groups producing these pressures and their acts against the press must be focused on at the greater-European level.
He added that politicians in Europe running for office in June must make it a commitment to solve this issue.
It remains a priority of RWB to change the wrongdoings towards the press in Bulgaria and the rest of Europe.
MY OPINION:
I completely agree with Reporters Without Borders secretary general Jean-Francois Julliard who believes Europe needs to reform and fight back against the criminal organizations.
The upcoming Bulgarian parliamentary election candidates should hone in on correcting this problem.
Though, from what I understand it probably will not.
The press has so much power and to think that criminals are controlling it disgusts me.
It's frightening but important to know that reporters are being victims and recipients of violent acts because one day this will hopefully be my field of work.
And granted, my writing preference is to focus on sports but if I am uneducated about what is happening globally to reporters I feel I would be a very narrow-minded, niche-centered individual.
Sources:
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