Prominent political party accused of compromising the independence of public media by Lithuanian journalists

Prominent political party accused of compromising the independence of public media by Lithuanian journalists

Senior Lithuanian journalists are accusing parliament of attempting to take control of the national broadcaster by making it easier for politicians to fire its director.

Lithuanian journalists are protesting legislation proposed by a powerful populist party that would make it easier to fire the head of the country’s public broadcaster.

The proposed legislation was submitted last month by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who founded Nemunas Dawn in 2023 after being expelled from a different party for making antisemitic statements. The proposal quickly gained approval in the parliament, which is moving to fast-track the bill.

Žemaitaitis has said previously he wanted to “tackle” the country’s public broadcaster, accusing it of bias against his movement. His party passed a resolution on November 8 saying that “the biggest threat to society” stemmed from the political opposition and the media.

Journalists at Lithuanian National Television and Radio (LRT), the public broadcaster, began holding moments of silence on air this week. They now plan to take their protest to the streets in a public rally with other media colleagues and organizations outside parliament in the capital, Vilnius, on December 9.

“Make no mistake, this is not just about LRT. The suppression of free speech has begun — it will not stop unless we act now,” said Birutė Davidonytė, chair of the Association of Professional Journalists. 

Speaking at a press conference on December 1, Davidonytė drew parallels to Hungary under strongman President Viktor Orban who has turned his country’s public broadcaster into a propaganda machine, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

“Every autocracy begins by taking control of the public broadcaster,” she said.

If the bill is approved, a simple majority of the broadcaster’s 12-member supervisory body will be needed to fire the director general of LRT. Such a change currently requires support from eight members. Four members of the LRT Council are appointed by the president, four by parliament, and four by civil society organizations.

The parliament’s legal department has said the bill may contradict the “Constitutional Court’s doctrine” on media independence, and run counter to the European Media Freedom Act. More than 100,000 people in Lithuania have signed a petition urging parliament to reconsider.

On Monday, a separate petition calling for the resignation of the LRT director was circulated online. Nemunas Dawn, which is the second-largest party in the Baltic nation’s governing coalition, posted the petition on its Facebook page, although Žemaitaitis said it did not originate with his organization.

“People initiate a petition — we support it,” Žemaitaitis told 15min, an OCCRP member center in Lithuania.

He accused journalists who are protesting his proposed legislation of abandoning “the principle of impartiality.”

Žemaitaitis was previously a member of the Freedom and Justice party, but was expelled after being accused of posting messages on social media that targeted Jewish people. Lithuania’s Constitutional Court ruled earlier this year that he had incited hatred against Jews. He has said the posts were not antisemitic.