TALLINN — The Center Party is strongly criticizing Estonian Public Broadcasting, alleging a lack of coverage on pension reform, but is this just part of a party effort to spin the state-run broadcaster’s coverage in its favor?

During a Riigikogu session Monday, the Center Party parliament members asked Minister of Culture Laine Jänes, a member of the Reform Party, why Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) did not cover the April 14 Tallinn city council in which the council voted to [private_supervisor]petition President Toomas Hendrik Ilves not to approve the State Pension Insurance Act.

Center Party MPs alleged that although the broadcasting company is an independent public organization and the Ministry of Culture is not permitted to directly intervene in  its work, the Reform-headed ministry may have influenced this coverage choice.

“Don’t you agree that news about raising the retirement age which affects every Estonian person and if the Tallinn city council takes a serious position about it by publicly addressing the president, it is worth being published by the national broadcasting company?” Heimar Lenk, a Center Party parliamentarian, told Jänes.

Jänes responded by saying that as she has not studied journalism, so she does not know how to answer this question. The minister argued that it is not right to influence the public broadcaster’s coverage decisions and it certainly is not her nor the ministry’s job to manage that process.

“I really hope that the executive power will not intervene the work of public broadcasting,” said Jänes. “I hope that a professional news editor will make the selection of the stories on what will be covered in their news. If it would not be so, then this would be a different country, but not a democratic country.”

An attempt to influence ERR?

Along with the Social Democratic Party, Center put forward the Public Broadcasting Act amendment draft to the parliament in January, which would have given additional powers to the Council of Public Broadcasting, which oversees the ERR. The council has nine members who serve for five years, five of whom are parliament members and four are media experts. The council is responsible of the budget approval and structuring the ERR company, among other tasks.

The draft added more rights to the council, allowing it to have a say on program selection and increase its control over finances to include segments of programs. Center Party has only one member on the council, but so does the Social Democratic Party and the People’s Union, each allies of Center, the largest party in the Estonian parliament.

Chairman of the Council of Public Broadcasting Andres Jõesaar said in January that in his opinion the draft showed one party’s wish to obtain more control over ERR and change the public broadcasting model back the way it was during the Soviet period.

Mailis Reps, Center Party parliament faction member said the reform would correct the public broadcaster’s unbalanced programming, which allegedly favors the ruling center-right parties.

The draft did not pass its first reading in the parliament on April 6 by 48-31 votes. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]petition President Toomas Hendrik Ilves not to approve the State Pension Insurance Act.

Center Party MPs alleged that although the broadcasting company is an independent public organization and the Ministry of Culture is not permitted to directly intervene in its work, the Reform-headed ministry may have influenced this coverage choice.

“Don’t you agree that news about raising the retirement age which affects every Estonian person and if the Tallinn city council takes a serious position about it by publicly addressing the president, it is worth being published by the national broadcasting company?” Heimar Lenk, a Center Party parliamentarian, told Jänes.

Jänes responded by saying that as she has not studied journalism, so she does not know how to answer this question. The minister argued that it is not right to influence the public broadcaster’s coverage decisions and it certainly is not her nor the ministry’s job to manage that process.

“I really hope that the executive power will not intervene the work of public broadcasting,” said Jänes. “I hope that a professional news editor will make the selection of the stories on what will be covered in their news. If it would not be so, then this would be a different country, but not a democratic country.”

An attempt to influence ERR?

Along with the Social Democratic Party, Center put forward the Public Broadcasting Act amendment draft to the parliament in January, which would have given additional powers to the Council of Public Broadcasting, which oversees the ERR. The council has nine members who serve for five years, five of whom are parliament members and four are media experts. The council is responsible of the budget approval and structuring the ERR company, among other tasks.

The draft added more rights to the council, allowing it to have a say on program selection and increase its control over finances to include segments of programs. Center Party has only one member on the council, but so does the Social Democratic Party and the People’s Union, each allies of Center, the largest party in the Estonian parliament.

Chairman of the Council of Public Broadcasting Andres Jõesaar said in January that in his opinion the draft showed one party’s wish to obtain more control over ERR and change the public broadcasting model back the way it was during the Soviet period.

Mailis Reps, Center Party parliament faction member said the reform would correct the public broadcaster’s unbalanced programming, which allegedly favors the ruling center-right parties.

The draft did not pass its first reading in the parliament on April 6 by 48-31 votes. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]petition President Toomas Hendrik Ilves not to approve the State Pension Insurance Act.

Center Party MPs alleged that although the broadcasting company is an independent public organization and the Ministry of Culture is not permitted to directly intervene in its work, the Reform-headed ministry may have influenced this coverage choice.

“Don’t you agree that news about raising the retirement age which affects every Estonian person and if the Tallinn city council takes a serious position about it by publicly addressing the president, it is worth being published by the national broadcasting company?” Heimar Lenk, a Center Party parliamentarian, told Jänes.

Jänes responded by saying that as she has not studied journalism, so she does not know how to answer this question. The minister argued that it is not right to influence the public broadcaster’s coverage decisions and it certainly is not her nor the ministry’s job to manage that process.

“I really hope that the executive power will not intervene the work of public broadcasting,” said Jänes. “I hope that a professional news editor will make the selection of the stories on what will be covered in their news. If it would not be so, then this would be a different country, but not a democratic country.”

An attempt to influence ERR?

Along with the Social Democratic Party, Center put forward the Public Broadcasting Act amendment draft to the parliament in January, which would have given additional powers to the Council of Public Broadcasting, which oversees the ERR. The council has nine members who serve for five years, five of whom are parliament members and four are media experts. The council is responsible of the budget approval and structuring the ERR company, among other tasks.

The draft added more rights to the council, allowing it to have a say on program selection and increase its control over finances to include segments of programs. Center Party has only one member on the council, but so does the Social Democratic Party and the People’s Union, each allies of Center, the largest party in the Estonian parliament.

Chairman of the Council of Public Broadcasting Andres Jõesaar said in January that in his opinion the draft showed one party’s wish to obtain more control over ERR and change the public broadcasting model back the way it was during the Soviet period.

Mailis Reps, Center Party parliament faction member said the reform would correct the public broadcaster’s unbalanced programming, which allegedly favors the ruling center-right parties.

The draft did not pass its first reading in the parliament on April 6 by 48-31 votes. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]petition President Toomas Hendrik Ilves not to approve the State Pension Insurance Act.

Center Party MPs alleged that although the broadcasting company is an independent public organization and the Ministry of Culture is not permitted to directly intervene in its work, the Reform-headed ministry may have influenced this coverage choice.

“Don’t you agree that news about raising the retirement age which affects every Estonian person and if the Tallinn city council takes a serious position about it by publicly addressing the president, it is worth being published by the national broadcasting company?” Heimar Lenk, a Center Party parliamentarian, told Jänes.

Jänes responded by saying that as she has not studied journalism, so she does not know how to answer this question. The minister argued that it is not right to influence the public broadcaster’s coverage decisions and it certainly is not her nor the ministry’s job to manage that process.

“I really hope that the executive power will not intervene the work of public broadcasting,” said Jänes. “I hope that a professional news editor will make the selection of the stories on what will be covered in their news. If it would not be so, then this would be a different country, but not a democratic country.”

An attempt to influence ERR?

Along with the Social Democratic Party, Center put forward the Public Broadcasting Act amendment draft to the parliament in January, which would have given additional powers to the Council of Public Broadcasting, which oversees the ERR. The council has nine members who serve for five years, five of whom are parliament members and four are media experts. The council is responsible of the budget approval and structuring the ERR company, among other tasks.

The draft added more rights to the council, allowing it to have a say on program selection and increase its control over finances to include segments of programs. Center Party has only one member on the council, but so does the Social Democratic Party and the People’s Union, each allies of Center, the largest party in the Estonian parliament.

Chairman of the Council of Public Broadcasting Andres Jõesaar said in January that in his opinion the draft showed one party’s wish to obtain more control over ERR and change the public broadcasting model back the way it was during the Soviet period.

Mailis Reps, Center Party parliament faction member said the reform would correct the public broadcaster’s unbalanced programming, which allegedly favors the ruling center-right parties.

The draft did not pass its first reading in the parliament on April 6 by 48-31 votes. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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