The Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) is the state-owned national news agency in Belarus.
Media assets
News agency: Belta
Print media: 7 Days, Belruskaya Dumka, Economy of Belarus
Ownership and governance
BelTA is a company fully owned by the government of Belarus, which appoints the agency’s top management. The agency is subordinated to the Administration of the President.
Source of funding and governance
Although it generates funding through commercial activities, mainly by selling content, BelTA is majority financed by the government, according to local journalists and experts.
Editorial independence
BelTA’s editorial policy is controlled by the government, namely the presidential administration, according to local journalists who are familiar with the internal editorial flow at the agency. An ad hoc content analysis found a strong propagandistic tone in all the stories published by the agency.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate BelTA’s editorial independence have been identified.
September 2023