Discrimination Against Independent Newspapers :: Charter'97 :: News

In the beginning of February a number of editorial offices of independent newspapers received the new prices for a “pack of TV schedules”, with the cost 5 millions 25 thousands Belarusian rubles for a month (more than 2,000 USD). As the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) informs, these documents do not differ in any way from those dated by January 30, though different newspapers asked for schedules for a different number of TV channels. In all the agreements the same price (5 million 25 thousands) is indicated, though, there is no list of TV channels that are included to such a high-priced pack.

According to BAJ press service information, the official of the marketing service of the BelTA agency Elena Handohina informed, that tariffs for distribution of TV schedule had been approved by the Ministry of Economy, however she was not able to name the number of channels included in the pack costing 5 millions. The newspapers that received these prices for TV schedule are the “Nasha Niva”, “Mestnaya gazeta” (Vawkavysk- Smorhon’), “Vitebsky Kurjer”, “Gazeta Dlia Vas” (Ivatsevichi) and other independent newspapers.