UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 19, Page 6
February 9, 1995
Faculty involved in Bulgarian media's transition

     The Bulgarian media is in a state of transition reflecting the
country itself after the end of communist rule in 1989, according to
Dennis Jackson, professor of English in the University's journalism
program.
     Last summer, Jackson and Susan Ruel, assistant professor, took
part in the U.S. Information Agency's Bulgaria Media Development
Program in three cities-Sophia, Plovdiv and Varna. They lectured on
American journalism and the concepts of a free press and an
independent media to 60 Bulgarian journalists working for newspapers,
radio and television.
     In April, a select group of Bulgarians will come to the
University to experience American journalism firsthand, through
lectures, seminars and internships with local television and radio
stations and newspapers. Jeanette Miller, coordinator in the Office of
International Programs and Special Sessions, is organizing the
program.
     As he observed Bulgaria emerging from communism and total control
of the media, Jackson said he gained a better appreciation of First
Amendment rights and their importance. "My experiences in Bulgaria
gave me a different perspective on America's freedom of the press and
freedom of information that I am sharing with my students here," he
said.
     Upon her return, Ruel described her impressions of the Bulgarian
media in an article for the Overseas Press Club Bulletin.
     She wrote that Bulgarian journalists "have been groping for ways
to transcend the crushing legacy of totalitarian control. Not only are
they trying to operate responsibly in the absence of press laws or
ethical guidelines; they're also struggling to stay afloat in a
chaotic economy while dodging threats by organized crime...."
     National radio is the prime source of news for most Bulgarians,
according to Jackson. Although there are a few privately owned, local
radio stations, national radio and television programs dominate the
airwaves. But, that will probably change as private companies apply
for licensing.
     As Ruel pointed out, "radio is the medium of choice," but radio
reporters "labor in deplorable conditions with many required to
operate an open mike for 10 hours a day."
     Jackson described television there, as "pretty boring," mostly
reruns of old Russian and American films.
     Although newspapers have proliferated since the downfall of
communism, they are struggling, and many are political tracts, Jackson
said. Paper is expensive, and home delivery is an unheard-of luxury.
Among the leading papers are a socialist paper Duma (The Word) ,
Democratsia, representing the democratic viewpoint, 24 Hours and
Standart, modeled after USA Today.
     Ruel wrote, "Newspapers are forced to go yellow to survive,
printing soft-porn photos and all manner of rumor and innuendo.
Publishers have little fear of libel suits in the current chaotic
climate."
     Journalists in Bulgaria do not do much investigative reporting,
Jackson said. They depend mostly on wire reports or communiques handed
out by government officials, but there are constraints that make
reporting difficult. Money is tight, the telephone system is
antiquated, there is limited access to electronic equipment, and
reporters are often dependent upon public transportation to cover
stories.
     Although Bulgarian journalists are elated to now have freedom of
the press, in their enthusiasm, they frequently confuse opinion with
objective reporting, Jackson said.
     For example, in one news story, a reporter used an obscene term
to describe an official. "One principle we stressed again and again
was that opinion belonged on the editorial page, not in a news story,"
he said.
     The subject of a newspaper interview himself, Jackson
inadvertently became involved in a controversy. He pointed out in the
interview that editorial comment did not belong on the front page
because it announced that a newspaper had a political agenda. This
statement was misconstrued by a rival newspaper as an indictment of
the first paper, and the crossfire began, with Jackson in the middle.
     Although the Bulgarian Socialist Party is now in power, following
the December 1994 elections, Jackson foresees that democracy and
privatization will continue to grow there.
     As Ruel pointed out, "Bulgaria today is no tinderbox of ethnic
conflict....Bulgaria has a tradition of tolerance. It was one of the
only nations in Europe that didn't hand over Jews to the Nazis."
     With the changing scene, journalism itself also will evolve and
mature as it experiences new freedoms, Jackson said.
     He looks forward to welcoming Bulgarian journalists to the campus
in April and predicts that they will find the experience illuminating
and broadening, just as he found his visit to Bulgaria.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure