As a subsidiary of TVP, Belsat is a satellite television channel targeting the people of Belarus. The station was launched to provide free content for the Belarusian audience, which had been subjected to state propaganda under the Alexander Lukashenko regime for many years. Belsat started broadcasting in December 2007.
Media assets
Television: Belsat
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Funded (ISF)
Ownership and governance
Belsat’s management consisted of highly skilled experts and seasoned journalists who possess extensive knowledge of Eastern Europe and Belarus. For a significant period, the director has been Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, an experienced Polish journalist and one of the foremost experts in Russian-language media in Eastern Europe.
Romaszewska-Guzy was dismissed in March 2024 after criticizing the cuts in the broadcaster’s budget, based on disciplinary grounds.
Source of funding and budget
Local experts and journalists report that Belsat receives its budget from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additionally, several governments from Nordic countries and Western Europe have occasionally contributed funds to the channel.
As part of TVP’s liquidation, Belsat’s budget was reduced to PLN 40m (€8.9m) in 2024 from PLN 74m (€16.5m) in the previous year.
Editorial independence
The channel’s editorial affairs have not been interfered with by the government, according to research from the Media and Journalism Research Center. However, the Belarusian president often criticizes the channel for its critical coverage of the Belarusian government. The dismissal of Belsat’s longtime director in March 2024 has been criticized by independent journalists, but so far, there are no signs that the station’s editorial independence has been affected.
Belsat does not feature an official statute on its website to protect its independence, but there is ample evidence that the broadcaster is editorially independent.
There is no independent oversight mechanism to validate the Belsat’s independence, but the broadcaster’s coverage has been consistently praised by EU institutions, journalists, and democratic governments. The station’s fearless journalism has earned it numerous awards and appreciation. There is no evidence that its journalists face any interference from the Polish government.
August 2024