Founded through a decree issued by Prince Ferdinand I in 1898, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is Bulgaria’s national newswire.
Media assets
News agency: BTA
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Funded and State Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
BTA is regulated by a Statute adopted by parliament in June 1994. According to the statute, the agency is “an autonomous national news organization.” Its director general is appointed by Parliament.
Source of funding and budget
BTA is financed by a combination of revenues generated through the sale of content and advertisements and state subsidies. In 2019, the government allocated to BTA a state subsidy of BGN 5.2m (US$ 3.2m). The same year, the agency generated some BGN 1.7m (US$ 1m) on its own. That means that the state contribution accounted for over 76% of BTA’s total budget in 2019. The state subsidy approved by parliament for BTA in 2020 increased to BGN 5.8m (US$ 3.5m).
Editorial independence
Although political pressures are constantly made to influence BTA’s editorial coverage, there is no recent evidence that the agency’s editorial line is influenced by the government.
The agency has a domestic statute that guarantees its independent editorial policy and protects it from economic and political pressures.
There is no independent assessment/oversight mechanism that would validate the independence of BTA.
October 2023