{"id":205619,"date":"2026-09-29T23:23:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205619\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T00:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T21:01:09","slug":"journalist-associations-issue-joint-statement-over-attacks-from-opposition-camp","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205619\/","title":{"rendered":"Journalist associations issue statement over attacks from opposition camp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 29, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> The Belarusian Association of Journalists, Press Club Belarus, Free Press for Eastern Europe and PEN Belarus have published a joint statement<\/a> in defense of independent media, saying that some exiled politicians try to impose censorship by complaining about their funding and threatening to expose the identities of their workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organizations deny that donors are \u201cpumping money\u201d into the media sector and stress that the budgets of independent media are severely limited and cannot be compared to the funding enjoyed by Belarusian propagandists.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They express indignation over alleged calls to \u201cdeanonymize\u201d journalists and stage protests in front of editorial offices. More than 100 Belarusian journalists in exile have been put on wanted lists, and attempts at deanonymization would only make life easier for the Belarusian repressive machine, the statement says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing the freedom of speech concept, the authors defend media\u2019s right to criticize politicians with harsh \u201cand even irritating\u201d language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A debate about funding for the media sector started after former political prisoner and blogger Siarhiej Cichano\u016dski lashed out at Nasha Niva<\/em> over its report on his birthday party. The publication wrote on August 19 that Cichano\u016dski had celebrated his birthday \u201con a large scale,\u201d while the blogger described it as a modest affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pavie\u0142 Barko\u016dski, the national revival representative in the United Transitional Cabinet, subsequently suggested reducing international funding for Belarus\u2019 media in exile, while Franak Via\u010dorka, chief adviser to democratic leader Sviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, expressed opposition to the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Facebook post on September 3, Barko\u016dski accused exiled media outlets of losing objectivity and making arbitrary judgements about \u201cwhat is important or unimportant for the audience.\u201d He warned that \u201cpumping money into the independent media sector\u201d sometimes causes people to join the profession without understanding \u201cwhat journalism is about and what its requirements and standards are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barko\u016dski wrote that \u201csometimes one really feels like asking the European Commission to cut the media allocation from the current \u20ac15 million a year.\u201d He suggested that such \u201cDarwinism\u201d would winnow out incompetent people. \u201cWhen some stories start being compared to Belarusian propaganda, this is already a diagnosis of a serious illness,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to reporters, Franak Via\u010dorka objected to a funding cut proposed by Barko\u016dski, stressing that the \u201cofficial stance of all the institutions of pro-democracy forces in support of independent media remains unshakable.\u201d He cited a resolution adopted at the opposition-organized New Belarus Conference in Warsaw last month that called for sustainable long-term funding for the independent media and stressed the importance of editorial independence. \u201cEverything else is opinions voiced by specific people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s aide defends independent media after colleague suggests cutting their funding<\/h3>\n
September 4, Pozirk. Pavie\u0142 Barko\u016dski, the national revival representative in the United Transitional Cabinet,\u00a0has suggested reducing international funding for Belarus\u2019 media in exile, while Franak Via\u010dorka, chief adviser to democratic leader Sviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, expressed opposition to the proposal. In a …<\/div>\n \n