Latvian journalists oppose plan to let media regulator run media support fund

The Latvian Journalists' Association (LŽA) said on Tuesday that it firmly opposes a plan under discussion in government to hand the running of the Media Support Fund (MAF) to the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), the country's broadcast regulator, the news site Delfi reported.

What is proposed

The Culture Ministry has drawn up proposals to overhaul the Society Integration Foundation, which currently runs the fund. Under a draft government decision, the NEPLP would run the MAF; the State Chancellery would take over the NGO fund; the Ministry of Education and Science would run Latvian-language courses for returning emigrants; the Culture Ministry would run the minorities and social cohesion programme; and the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development would run the family-friendly municipality programme.

The journalists' objections

The NEPLP already supervises electronic media: it checks content, issues broadcasting licences and rules on administrative offences. The association says that if the same body also distributed state support for journalism, it would create risks of political influence, conflicts of interest and self-censorship in newsrooms. It asked how the government would guarantee that an outlet under investigation or fined by the NEPLP could compete on equal terms for funding run by the same council.

The association noted that MAF support covers not only electronic media but also print and digital outlets, so the council's influence over the industry as a whole would grow considerably. NEPLP members are elected by the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, and the more powers are concentrated in one body, the greater the political weight of choosing its members, it said.

Other objections

The Culture Ministry's proposal has drawn criticism before. Several non-governmental organisations see it as a de facto abolition of the SIF, while the health, transport and defence ministries oppose splitting the programmes among institutions because it would fragment administration. The State Chancellery supports the Culture Ministry's current role in running the MAF.

The association urged the government to abandon the plan and, together with journalists' and media organisations, design a model with independent expert assessment, publicly reasoned decisions and uninterrupted grant funding during the transition.