J. Olekas: The working group has successfully agreed on the functions of the Council and the Board regarding LRT
Lithuanian politician J. Olekas announced that a working group has reached an agreement on the functions of the Council and the Board of the national broadcaster LRT.
In a recent update, Lithuanian politician J. Olekas confirmed that a working group has made significant progress in finalizing the legislation concerning the functions of the Council and the Board of Lithuania's national broadcaster, LRT. According to Olekas, the group is on track to finalize the legislative text shortly, with the aim of having a complete draft ready by Thursday morning. Remaining discussions will focus on certain articles and their activation timelines. This development highlights the ongoing effort to reform and clarify the operational structure of LRT.
The proposed changes put forward by the working group appointed by the Speaker of the Parliament indicate that the Council will play a crucial role in approving the broadcaster's statutes, organizational structure, and annual activity reports. Furthermore, it entails setting editorial, privacy, and sustainability standards applicable to the broadcaster's programming. As part of this reform, the Council will also be responsible for endorsing a journalist code of ethics, as well as the annual revenue and expense plans, ensuring a structured oversight mechanism for LRT's operational and ethical dimensions.
These proposed adjustments underscore the Lithuanian government's intent to enhance the transparency and accountability of state-funded media. By empowering the LRT Council with these responsibilities, the reforms seek to ensure that the public broadcaster adheres to high editorial standards while remaining aligned with cultural, social, and educational dissemination mandates. This is an essential step towards fostering trust and credibility in Lithuania's public media landscape.