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 wholly 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 funds through commercial activities, mainly through the sale of content, BelTA is largely funded by the government, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2024.
Editorial independence
BelTA’s editorial policy is controlled by the government, namely the presidential administration, according to local journalists familiar with the agency’s internal editorial flow interviewed in May 2024. An ad hoc content analysis conducted for this report in June 2023 found a strong propagandistic tone in all stories published by the agency.
There is no evidence of any statute, independent evaluation, or oversight mechanism that would validate BelTA’s editorial independence.
September 2024