This morning on the program ‘900 seconds’ on TV3, the chairman of the National Council for Electronic Media (NEPLP) Ivars Abolins stated that the ban on the retransmission of Russian TV channels in Latvia has significantly reduced the influence of Russian propaganda on society.
“Most people were simply disconnected from these channels. They are no longer freely accessible and are no longer considered prestigious. If these channels had not been blocked, the situation would be much worse,” said Abolins, emphasizing that hundreds of websites posing a security threat are also blocked.
Abolins confirmed that the retransmission of Russian TV channels will not be restored in Latvia, as there are neither legal nor political grounds for this.
“As long as I am the chairman of the NEPLP, retransmission will not be restored. Latvia cannot return these programs,” he emphasized.
At the same time, Abolins acknowledged that it is impossible to completely block propaganda content; however, the council monitors activity and records about 300,000 failed attempts to access blocked websites each month.
Speaking about media literacy in society, Abolins noted that this area is still underdeveloped.
“The level of media literacy in society is not very high. This needs to be taught from preschool age so that people can critically perceive information,” he said, adding that today the NEPLP will present a new study on the media literacy of Latvian residents.
Abolins also criticized the distribution of funds from the Media Support Fund, pointing out that state funding is sometimes allocated to insignificant projects.
“For example, about 30,000 euros were allocated to a portal with a few thousand subscribers. This is unclear. We also oppose the new order, which may jeopardize media diversity,” he explained.
The head of the NEPLP also noted the importance of uniting public media, particularly emphasizing the changes at Latvian Radio.
“This is the most significant reform in the media sector in the last 35 years. The decision has been made to liquidate ‘Latvian Radio 4’ and reduce the presence of the Russian language in public media. These changes are necessary and important for the entire media environment in Latvia,” stated Abolins.
