Several international media freedom organisations have expressed concern over a planned “political neutrality” audit recently approved by the supervisory body of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT). They warn that the measure could negatively affect editorial independence at the public broadcaster.
The groups include the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
“Our organisations jointly question the need for such an action by the LRT Council and warn that rather than improve political neutrality it could instead lead to self-censorship by journalists and management at the broadcaster. As press freedom organisations working at the EU level, we note that this specific type of internal audit procedure into political neutrality would have little precedence, posing serious questions over its purpose and motive,” the groups said in a statement.
The LRT Council voted in favour of conducting the audit in December 2024 and tasked LRT’s internal auditor to assess the adherence of LRT journalists to “principles of political neutrality in news reporting, content creation and management”.
“After assessing the proposal, on a practical level our organisations are concerned about both the scope and feasibility of such an audit, as well as under what specific methodology and criteria it would be carried out, in what form potential issues would be reported, what potential outcomes or repercussions there could be for staff, and what options there would be for appeals against accusations of political bias. Overall, the audit risks increasing pressures on journalists, potentially leading to self-censorship and potentially eroding editorial independence,” the undersigned groups said.
Similar concerns over the audit at LRT have previously been expressed by national journalist groups.
According to the statement, existing self-regulation rules at LRT “are more than sufficient for upholding professional standards”.
“We further note with concern that the recent meeting of the LRT Council with LRT journalists on February 20 was not attended by those individual Council members who initiated and supported the audit, demonstrating a lack of transparency and a bad-faith approach to discussions,” the statement said.
The media organisations call on the LRT Council to reconsider the audit and “remain open to engagement with national and international journalistic bodies”.
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