Journalists warn Saeima newsroom ban may breach media protections

Latvia’s Journalists Association says a decision by parliament on October 22 to ban the merger of Latvian Radio and Latvian Television newsrooms could violate constitutional and European media-independence protections, LSM reported.

The association called the decision a dangerous precedent and direct political interference in the internal organisation of an independent public media outlet. It said the measure was adopted under an urgent procedure, although a parliamentary committee had agreed the previous day to consider the issue in a separate bill, allowing for broader discussion.

The association cited Article 100 of Latvia’s Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, and provisions in the law governing public electronic media that protect public media from political interference and assign administrative management to the board and editorial decisions to the editor-in-chief. It also pointed to Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act, which requires EU member states to ensure public media’s editorial and functional independence.

Latvia’s Constitutional Court, in a ruling on March 30, 2026, emphasised the importance of public media independence and editorial freedom, linking them to freedom of expression. The court also recognised parliament’s authority to set the legal framework for public media, while noting that this authority is not unlimited.

The Journalists Association argues that by specifying the structure of newsrooms in law, parliament crossed the line from setting that framework to directly interfering in the media’s professional and organisational autonomy. It says the European Media Freedom Act requires independence and diversity of opinion but does not require public media to maintain separate newsrooms.