Bulgaria: President’s Office Pressures EU Correspondent Antoinette Nikolova – State Should Not Intimidate Press

Location: Bulgaria, Sofia
Date: March 28, 2023

Bulgaria’s President’s press secretary Kiril Atanasov attempted to pressure and discredit Brussels correspondent Antoinette Nikolova. Atasanov called her reporting on the president's two-faced stance on Russia for Nova TV “lies,” Nikolova tells CFWIJ. The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces the intimidation and calls for Bulgarian officials to stop pressuring free press. 

On March 24, Antoinette Nikolova reported for Bulgarian Nova TV on the discrepancy in President Rumen Radev’s accounts to Bulgarian media and his support at the European Council regarding aid to Ukraine. 

After the report aired, President’s press secretary Kiril Atanasov contacted Nikolova. “He spoke to me and said it (report) was not correct. That it was a lie,” she told CFWIJ.

According to Atanasov, Bulgaria had not yet signed the EU’s conclusion document on the aid, adding that it is “not binding, but only a framework.” 

Nikolova says this “is ridiculous.” According to her, the document is a "conclusion" document with profound implications. "He complained that this wasn’t true. That it was just 'in principle,'” she recounts the conversation. 

Nikolova invited Atanasov or the President on air to explain the document's significance. He reportedly refused and reached out to NovaTV's editor instead.

“He called the television station to complain, to say my reportage was a lie,” says Nikolova. 

“When the president's press secretary picks up the phone and calls management, what will they say to him? They will offer the opportunity to reply. Of course, he declined,” Nikolova added.

Facebook feud

Antoinette Nikolova reiterated her report and addressed Atanasov’s complaints against her in a Facebook post. 

Presidential press secretary Atanasov denied pressuring Nikolova in a post. “I did not threaten the Nova TV reporter and expressly emphasized that I did not wish to send a right of reply.”

Obligated to publicize the incident

Nikolova felt a moral responsibility to speak out. As an international journalist based in Brussels, she feels she has more freedom to push back against powerful state actors. She told CFWIJ that Bulgarian colleagues face more pressure and could potentially lose their jobs if they spoke out. 

“It’s not to talk about me, but what I represent. As a journalist and a director of a media organization, it’s my duty to take a stand to expose this case,” says Nikolova.

Pressures facing journalists in Bulgaria

Nikolova explains that economic and state actors in Bulgaria employ sophisticated tactics to undermine objective journalism and control public discourse. The state controls public broadcasters, media regulators, and proxies in the advertisement sector and fosters clientelism through government subsidies. All of this affects the way journalists report. According to RSF, Bulgaria's few remaining independent media voices face constant pressure.

Earlier this month, an insurance company sued Bulgarian news outlet Mediapool for an exorbitant amount (half a million euros). Police and political actors also attempted to intimidate Deutsche Welle Bulgaria’s Emilia Milcheva.

Antoinette Nikolova, a veteran EU correspondent, has worked for a host of international news organizations, including Deutsche Welle International, News Corp television stations, TV Nova, the Economist Life, and the Brussels-based media network Euractiv. She is also the co-founder and director of the Balkan Free Media Initiative, which advocates protecting media freedom and journalists’ rights in South-East Europe. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Antoinette Nikolova. We applaud her for speaking out about the Bulgarian state’s attempt to intimidate her. Journalists are not government propaganda tools. They should be free to report facts exposing state hypocrisy without facing pressure from officials. We call on the Bulgarian government to cease its attempts to hinder journalists and allow them to report freely. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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