LRT council chair declines to assess allegations against journalist

The chair of Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT council, Mindaugas Jurkynas, has declined to evaluate accusations by the Social Democratic Party that one of its journalists left a recording device at a closed party meeting, stating that the council does not interfere in journalistic work, LRT reports.

“Hiring, dismissing, or overseeing journalists is the responsibility of the administration, not the council,” Jurkynas told ELTA on Monday. “The council does not monitor journalists’ activities—that is the administration’s domain.”

He added that while the issue is not on the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting, members could still raise it. “Any council member can ask the administration about it,” he said. “The administration has already issued a statement saying they are awaiting the results of an investigation.”

Jurkynas emphasised that all parties involved—including the journalist, Eglė Samoškaitė—have denied wrongdoing. “We currently only have the Social Democrats’ statement, the journalist’s denial, and the administration’s response,” he said. “We need the findings of law enforcement to understand the full picture.”

The Social Democrats reported the incident to police last Friday, claiming an unauthorised recording device was found in their closed meeting room. The journalist in question has denied the allegations, and LRT’s public relations head previously stated that no staff admitted to improper conduct. Samoškaitė has since stepped back from her role in an LRT journalists’ protest group pending the investigation.

The party’s meeting, held last Thursday, was closed to outsiders, with attendees barred from bringing phones.