Latvian Saeima finally restricted public media broadcasting in Russian
From January 1, public media in Latvia will be able to broadcast in Russian only in exceptional cases.
The Latvian Saeima has finally restricted public media broadcasting in Russian, reports "Volna".
From January 1, content in minority languages recognized as "self-sufficient," including Russian, can only be distributed in case of an emergency or to refute disinformation.
As LSM board member Ieva Aile stated: "There will be no content in Russian at all, except in very rare cases. If disinformation appears – false, misleading information about the geopolitical situation that threatens democracy and the Latvian state as a whole – the LSM portal will be able to prepare some content in Russian. It will most likely be distributed through third-party platforms and social networks, and only there. We encourage the audience to try to switch to content in Latvian."
According to Aile, some employees will be laid off.
"We have more than ten people working on content in Russian: they adapt news, produce the evening news broadcast. These changes, unfortunately, will also affect them," she said.
At the same time, the LSM board member does not know how many consumers of Russian-language content will switch to Latvian-language content.
"According to our data, after the decision to close the radio station Latvijas Radio 4 — 'Domska laukums' — we lost approximately 90,000 listeners from minority groups. Statistics from the LSM.lv portal show that over the year, the number of Russian-language news readers has decreased by approximately one-third. There is no noticeable trend of minority audiences switching to Latvian-language content. At the same time, SEPLP requires us to increase reach, especially among minorities and youth. This will be more than difficult: it is impossible to significantly change media habits in a short period."
In March, the Constitutional Court of Latvia ruled that public media should review their language policy. In general, the recommendations are as follows: Latvian is the main language, minority languages are to be respected, however, Russian is the language of a self-sufficient minority, and commercial media exist in it, therefore, there is no need to develop broadcasting in Russian in public media.
Do you remember the crazy race in Brest during which three people died? The VIDEO from the motorcyclist's action camera shows he sped up to 186 km/h 88
Comments
Гэта тэкст са старокі бабарыканскай партыі Вместе.