The Latvian Media Ethics Council does not consider the phrase “Lembergs’ scholarship case” to be a violation of media ethics, as it is general in nature and does not imply criminal activity, the council announced.
The complaint to the council had been filed by Ventspils City Council member and former long-time mayor of the city, Aivars Lembergs, who objected to the use of the phrase “Lembergs’ scholarship case” by Latvian Radio. Lembergs argued that the phrase was false, misleading, and promoted negative stereotypes, since no criminal proceedings had been initiated against him in connection with the specific matter.
Latvian Radio, however, explained that the language of public commentary differs from that of official legal documents, and in line with generally accepted journalism standards, publications explaining the essence of criminal proceedings often employ simpler language aimed at a wider audience.
Moreover, the Prosecutor General’s Office has also investigated a criminal case involving possible hidden payments to parties and individual politicians, and informally in the public sphere, it has for many years been referred to as “Lembergs’ scholarship case.”
The Ethics Council stressed that
every complaint concerning offensive or questionable phrasing must be assessed individually,
based on the available information about the circumstances, the meaning and usage of the words, and the possibility of alternative formulations within the journalistic genre.
The council noted that each phrase can be examined to determine whether it contains blatantly false or disproportionately offensive words and meanings, and there may be cases where corrections are advisable. However, in this situation, the Ethics Council concluded that the media outlet had not violated the Ethics Code – the phrase is approximate in nature and does not suggest criminal activity.
The Ethics Council also reviewed a complaint about a jauns.lv article titled “Candidates for Valmiera Municipality Council: the Green Loner, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, and Internet for Everyone.” This was one of a series of articles published before the municipal elections to introduce readers to the candidate lists of all 42 municipalities, their leaders, included celebrities, and peculiarities.
The complainant argued that the article violated the principles of fair journalism,
as the information about him, as a candidate from a particular party, was defamatory and biased.
However, the Ethics Council found that the article informed the public about party representatives, with the journalist conducting research, compiling publicly available information, and also taking into account the views of certain informed individuals.
The council did not find any signs of a breach of the Ethics Code either in the information presented or in the way it was gathered, emphasizing that the media has the right to conduct such investigations into council candidates. This is particularly necessary during pre-election periods, in order to ensure that citizens have access to information from a variety of mutually independent sources, the council stressed.
The Latvian Media Ethics Council was established in 2018 at the initiative of several media industry associations and media outlets. The association’s goal is to promote the development of ethical media practices and strengthen media self-regulation in Latvia, as well as to protect freedom of speech and the public’s right to a safe and reliable media environment. The association examines complaints and submissions regarding possible non-compliance of media work with ethical principles.
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