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Since the beginning of the year, a new law has come into force that seeks greater clarity and transparency in the management of the public broadcasting service and the proper use of taxpayers’ money, with a budget of almost 54 million euros this year alone. euros.
However, with the new law, it appears that the public body has become more covert than the decisions made in its highest governing body, the 12-person council. And the LRT Board started doing this after last year news portal tv3.lt published information that LRT CEO Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, her deputy Gytis Oganauskas and other department heads received thousands of euros. in bonuses.
However, the president of the LRT board assures that there will be no reduction in transparency, and if there is less passion or curiosity, it will only be better.
Under the guise of a new law
Unlike all public authorities, their companies or hospitals and schools, the public service broadcaster publishes relatively little information about itself.
In mid-February, the agendas for the council meetings were posted in advance on the LRT website. It was possible to learn from them that the council plans to award cash prizes to CEO Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, her deputy, other managers, who earn 10,000 per month. euros or more.
It was also known from the agendas and minutes of the council that the salaries of managers will increase by 20 thousand. and that the council members themselves intend to pay more.
In January, the LRT announced the agendas for two council meetings in advance and promised to publish the agenda for the February meeting on the 15th of the month. However, this was not done.
When the portal tv3.lt asked why, the LRT public relations representative, Miglė Savickaitė, who had previously promised that the agenda would be published, reported that from now on it would not be done at all.
“We draw your attention to the fact that the law imposes an obligation to only publish council resolutions on the LRT website,” the representative explained, adding that the resolutions will be published if they do not contain confidential information.
He did not answer why, after the new law came into force, the council’s agendas were published however if the duties did not yet exist. It also did not answer whether the decision to publish less information to the public complies with the principles of accountability and transparency, which the LRT must follow in accordance with the law.
Additionally, none of the broadcaster’s representatives responded whether the board had addressed executive compensation or bonuses in January and February, whether such information was already considered confidential and would not be released at all.
Why show TV trailers if there is no duty in law?
Dainius Radzevičius, president of the Lithuanian Union of Journalists (LUJ) and former president of the LRT Council, is convinced that publishing less information to the public about the activities of the institution does not increase transparency and accountability.
He explained that the law, like the statutes, regulates the matters that are binding.
“In addition, due to the material of the meeting and its publicity, the law contains minimum requirements, which LRT, like any other organization, financed from the budget and especially having its own special law, cannot fail to comply with.
But the law not only does not prohibit, but in general says that the LRT, like other public legal entities, that the transparency and openness of its activities should be greater in principle. In this case, we must not forget that everything that is not prohibited is possible “, commented D. Radzevičius.
He considered that if the LRT publishes only what is exactly provided by law, it should not broadcast, for example, advertisements for various programs on television or radio.
Recalling the previous law and its current wording, I believe that the City Council must decide what level of publicity, in its opinion, not only the LRT itself deserves, but also society as a whole. And, of course, it would be good if it were as big as possible, not the minimum according to the law ”, the head of the LUJ is convinced.
In his opinion, knowing what funding a public service station receives, any speculation or ambiguity is detrimental to the institution itself.
“Increased publicity for LRT itself helps build a more trustworthy reputation, everyone’s confidence that money is used transparently and that activities are transparent,” said D. Radzevičius, recalling that previously council meetings were open and filmed, so less attention was paid to the institution.
“Of course, the council itself needs to take the pulse. Why did they decide, what is the purpose of so close. Frankly, I cannot find reasons to reduce the possibilities of providing information in this way. I do not think it is better to live and work that’s why ”, summed up the interlocutor.
Transparency is expected to increase in the future
Ingrida Kalinauskienė, program director of the Lithuanian branch of the non-governmental organization Transparency International, hopes that the public broadcaster will still reconsider what and how much information to publish to the public.
“In this case, I want to distinguish two things: a good standard of transparency and accountability is not necessarily the same as compliance with the law. I hope that the lesser amount of information that is being published now is temporary, moving towards greater transparency ”, commented the project manager.
According to her, LRT has a great opportunity to be a good example in this area.
“That is why I hope that the LRT management will increase its openness to the public, announce the agendas and resolutions of the council meetings, and seek even more diverse ways of meaningfully involving the population in the discussion of issues related to the management of the LRT.
I would very much like the LRT transparency discussions to encourage other media to pay more and more attention to good governance in their activities ”, commented I. Kalinauskienė.
State public entity or own company?
Liudvikas Gadeikis, Chairman of the LRT Board, does not consider that the lesser amount of information provided to the public reduces the accountability and transparency of the institution. He equates the board decisions of a taxpayer-funded public broadcaster with those of a private company. We present a telephone conversation with L. Gadeikis.
Why did the Council decide not to publish the meeting agenda in advance, as it has done so far?
Here it is under the new law. Previously, the law required, as they say, the publication of such things (this is not true, the law in force until December 31, 2020 did not require the publication of council agendas) aut. These remain internal documents and works.
Doesn’t the public have the right to know what the council will decide?
I don’t know how to answer that question here now. We make all decisions, so to speak, public.
Do you reveal all the information or do you not provide confidential information?
No, confidential information is confidential information.
And who decides what information is confidential?
Well, first of all, it all starts with the law. Then, below are the statutes, regulations, description of confidential information. You see, this is internal company information, this is internal.
But it is not a company, it is a public body financed with taxpayer money.
Even so, whether it is a public body, it is internal work of the company. Still, the company operates in a competitive environment. She decides her questions. For example, the board considers its problems internally. Not like the Seimas, let’s say, discuss public issues. That’s why this confidentiality arises, so to speak.
However, all reading, a dispute that has no final conclusion and the like, stays inside.
And salaries, supplements for the LRT director, deputy, other managers, board members – would it be confidential information or not?
You see, there are executives here. They “go” according to the next point. The salaries of each individual employee are confidential, your personal information. And for executives, we also publish in reports.
Last year, the board awarded bonuses to the director and deputy, other executives. If you decide to assign now, would this information be confidential?
Now you are asking me to tell you how to look … These things are reflected in the reports.
The reports reflect the total amount paid during the year. They do not reflect Council decisions to grant attachments.
Of course, I don’t want to say it exactly right now, because I’ve been reading those points for a long time. From what I can remember, they were detailed. But I don’t want to argue because I can’t quote when I speak in an impromptu way.
The law establishes that the resolutions of the board will be published in accordance with the procedure established in the LRT bylaws, in these cases, in accordance with the procedure provided in the board regulations. Who decides what information is confidential? Just the board? So you lowered the law and decided to publish that kind of information?
In accordance with the procedure established by law. I can no longer add anything. Because what is confidential information? There are many points that I could not name all in my mind at this time.
According to the law, LRT bases its activities on the principles of accountability and transparency. Do you think that the new publications regime adds accountability and transparency or not?
I think it really doesn’t reduce accountability and transparency. Is that what is said here, what is it called now … Let’s say yes, we will publish all the information that is important to society, as we have published. And we just multiply it, we don’t reduce it.
But with so much, let’s say, curiosity, passion, or ambiguous interpretations like that, here I really don’t see that multiplying transparency or accountability.
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