What is the perception of freedom of expression among Bulgarian journalists? Are there any new forms of pressure in the media? What are the major challenges in the sector at present?
These are some of the main questions to which the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria hopes to find the answers through its fifth survey on freedom of speech in the country.
AEJ-Bulgaria launched the survey on May 3, when we celebrate the World Press Freedom Day. Bulgarian journalists can submit their responses to the survey questions by June 3, 2020.
Running under the motto ‘Journalism Without Masks’, this year’s survey aims to provide a snapshot of the current state of the media environment in Bulgaria. This information is even more important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it will allow us to assess the impact of this challenging situation on journalism not just in Sofia but throughout the country.
We call on all active journalists to participate in the survey so that we can have as representative a picture of freedom of speech and the state of journalism in Bulgaria as possible. Completing the survey takes 10-12 minutes, and the collected data will only be used in an aggregate form.
AEJ-Bulgaria conducted its first survey on freedom of speech in the country in 2011, with more than 200 journalists participating in its last edition in 2017. You can find the results from previous years here: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017.
The survey is being conducted with the financial support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bulgaria. AEJ-Bulgaria bears the whole responsibility in relation to the content of the survey, the processing of the collected data, and the presentation of the results. Thus, the survey does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the funding institution.
AEJ-Bulgaria is a professional community of journalists, part of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), and an independent observer on the Council of Europe’s Media Steering Committee. Our goal is to contribute to the improvement of the media environment and the quality of journalism in Bulgaria and to support journalists who are prevented from performing their work (freely). AEJ-Bulgaria has strengthened its institutional capacity thanks to the financial support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF).
