LRT staff said the action responds to a proposal under discussion in the Seimas to simplify conditions for removing the LRT director general. On air, the broadcaster is marking minutes of silence and airing messages on the importance of independent media and the risks if that independence is lost.
“The Public Media Act gives journalists not only the right but the duty to defend media freedom when it is threatened,” LRT journalists and employees said in a statement, adding that they are appealing to the public for support “in defense of media freedom and freedom of speech, which is one of the guarantees of democracy.”
Under current law, dismissing the LRT director general requires approval from two-thirds of the broadcaster’s 12-member board. The proposed amendment would lower the threshold to a simple majority, which protesters say would open the door to politicization and allow each new board to install a preferred director.
Lawmakers approved the draft amendment in a first reading last week. A second reading is scheduled for Dec. 9, when a protest outside the Lithuanian parliament is also planned, according to organizers.
(jh)
Source: PAP