Public Broadcaster Funding Sparks Concernsโ Over Prioritized Independence
Vilnius, โฃLithuania โ – Writer Jolanta โคBlaลพytฤ โขhas raised concerns โregarding the purposeโข ofโ public โfunding for Lithuania’s national broadcaster,โ LRT, questioning whether the focusโค has shifted from providing information to simply ensuring โขthe institution’s independence.
Blaลพytฤ’s critique stemsโฃ from comments โmade by โLRT’s leadership expressing worry that political efforts toโฃ ensure freedom โof โขexpression and pluralismโฃ within โฃthe broadcaster could โbe interpreted as attempts to โrestrict โฃits editorial independence.
“It turns out that we pay taxes to โฃthe public broadcaster โ- LRT -โค notโค to receive thorough information, โขbut to ensure LRT’s โindependence, which, not a secret, begins and endsโ at the promotion โof oneโค party,” Blaลพytฤ wrote in anโค articleโข published on respublika.lt.
She โขextends this concern to other areas ofโ public spending, posing rhetorical questions about whether taxes are increasingly allocated to guaranteeโข the autonomyโ of institutions – such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of โขEducation, Science and Sports, and SODRA (the โState Social โคInsurance Fund Board) – rather than to deliver the services thay are intended to provide.โข
Blaลพytฤโฃ illustratesโ her point with examples, questioning if taxesโฃ would continue to be paid to these โขentities even ifโฃ desired services, like healthcare โฃor education, โฃwere notโค provided, simply to uphold โคtheir independence. Sheโ also referenced defense taxes and their potential allocation, questioning if funds would be โusedโข for national defense โคor simply to ensureโ the independence of certain individuals.
Concluding โher argument, Blaลพytฤ suggests the creation โคof a “self-Governorate” funded โby taxpayers, drawingโค a parallel to past tributeโข systems where collectors had little โunderstanding โof the needs ofโ those they taxed.
