Member of Electronic Media Council (SEM) Resigned

Electronic Media Council (SEM) member Ivelina Dimitrova, who is appointed from the president's quota, has resigned.

The reasons are that the good tone and constructive dialogue in the council has been lost in recent days. According to Dimitrova, the SEM missed the moment to act as a mediator in the conflict between Culture Minister Velislav Minekov and the director of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), and instead of debating important media issues, there were personal attacks and reproaches for political bias.

This is understood from Dimitrova's motives, posted on her Facebook profile.

Council Chairwoman Betina Joteva commented that the resignation was a personal statement of intent and wished Dimitrova success in her new endeavors. Ivelina Dimitrova was appointed by President Rumen Radev in June 2018.

Upon taking office, the caretaker Minister of Culture Minekov demanded the resignation of BNT Director Emil Koshlukov due to interruptions in the program of the national television for broadcasting a briefing of GERB political party. According to the Minister this was clear breach of the law.

Minekov asked the council to conduct an inspection, but the CEM said at the time that they could not interfere in the politics of national television. It is not known if the problem has been commented on more by the regulator.

"I think that only the minutes of the meeting, answers and quotes from the media law in formal letters from the regulator are not enough. In my opinion, the SEM missed the moment to act as a mediator, to conduct an open dialogue, with a serious monitoring analysis against public discontent from SEM and the cases related to the Minister of Culture and the Director General of BNT. through expert...