The International Press Institute (IPI) today calls on the council overseeing the Lithuanian Radio and TV (LRT) to end the current state of uncertainty at the public broadcaster by electing a Director General based on strict principles of professionalism and independence.
IPI, the world’s oldest press freedom organization and a global network of leading journalists, editors and media executives, urges the Council to fulfil its responsibility, break the current deadlock and ensure the institutional independence of the country’s public broadcaster.
On 3 October 2023, a third election to appoint the director general of LRT will be held, following two previous elections which ended in a split vote within the twelve-member Council, made up of experts from social, scientific and cultural fields.
Since March 2023 there has been an ongoing deadlock in the Council over the appointment of a Director General. This undermines public confidence in the operations of the public broadcaster and stalling the development and growth of the LRT.
IPI calls on the Council to fulfil its public mission in a timely and responsible manner by appointing the new Director General based on strict considerations of the candidates’ relevant professional experience as well as their demonstrable autonomy from political interests.
The selection process by the LRT Council should be conducted in an impartial and independent manner, free from all forms of external political pressure, and with the best interests of the public broadcaster and the Lithuanian public in mind.
IPI notes that both the Media Pluralism Monitor and the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report recognise positive developments and robust legal safeguards for the independence of the public broadcaster, and the low risk of interference in its work in recent years.
The implementation in 2021 of LRT Journalists Code of Ethics is also a positive step forward which helps review editorial processes to ensure compliance with the principles of professional and ethical journalism amongst the broadcaster’s editorial hierarchy and staff.
IPI also notes the recent statement by the Baltic Centre of Media Excellence, which points out the broadcaster’s positive development and welcome involvement in creating informative and educational content, developing media literacy and fighting disinformation in Lithuania.
Ahead of the third selection process, it would therefore be regrettable if positive work achieved in recent years to improve LRT’s independence and quality would be jeopardized by the unwelcome politicization of the broadcaster’s management by external political interests.
IPI will continue to closely monitor this situation and will write to each of the twelve members of the Council to urge them to heed the call to act in an independent manner based on international criteria for objective appointment. IPI will continue to support free and independent journalism in Lithuania.
This statement by IPI is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States, Candidate Countries, and Ukraine. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
