Coalition 2009, unhappy with Broadcasting Regulator

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections – “Coalition 2009” asks the members of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) to work in strict accordance with the Broadcasting Code, and not according to their own likes or dislikes, Info-Prim Neo learns from a statement of “Coalition 2009.” Coalition 2009’s appeal has been made after, a recent sitting of the BCC, its members had decided not to penalize the broadcasters monitored during the campaign as violating the Elections Coverage regulation and the Broadcasting Code. “Under the law, the BCC shall penalize the broadcasters violating the law, but, despite these rules, the BCC just issued a general recommendation addresses to all the broadcasters. It required them to observe opinion pluralism in covering conflict-related topics,” reads the communique. Coalition 2009 considers that the BCC neglects its own authorities and encourages broadcasters to breach the law. “We express our amazement towards the inaction shown by the BCC as to the multiple breaches of the law committed by some broadcasters, cases signaled by Coalition 2009,” say the signatories of the statement. The civil society attentively monitors the way in which broadcasters observe the Elections Coverage Regulation and the Broadcasting Code, and has repeatedly informed the BCC on these breaches, but the Coalition 2009 members are ignored.