Best journalist story related to the access to information right

Evaluation criteria for journalist story:

• Is access to information the focus of the story?
• Is the subject of the publication of particular public interest?
• Has the APIA been used for the unveiling or confirmation of any facts?
• Professional quality.
• Impact of the publication.

Six nominations were received for the 2012 Right to Know Day Awards:

1. Mr. Krasen Nikolov from the News Portal Mediapool was nominated by the team of AIP for actively using the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) for a number of publications dealing with issues of great public interest – the pardoning process carried out by the former President, the work of the Ministry of Interior, the work of the Center for Prevention and Countering Corruption and Organized Crime (BORKOR). In his publications, he always refers to the law which helps raise public awareness about its efficiency. Krassen Nikolov also covers the activities of FOI advocates in the country.

Some of his publications include (all in Bulgarian):
1.BORKOR did not start working this year either, 13.12.2011
2.The first known, so far, signal to BORKOR is a media publication on its financial support, 15.12.2012
3. Angel Marin has pardoned 49 people on his own, half of them - murderers, 27.02.2012
4. 26 view points in an intern document on access to information. Our police is not willing to tell who and for how much it is providing security for, 30.04.2012.
5. Civil activist in Varna beaten and arrested and the Cadastre Agency, 25.04.2012
6. The Ministry of Interior bought four limousines without a public procurement tender, 22.06.2012
7. The price of democracy. The Pazardzhik Municipality demanded 3,312.54 levs for access to information, 09.03.2012 

Krasen Nikolov was nominated by a colleagu journalist as well (Dorothea Dachkova from Trud Daily). The nomination was specifically for his demand for informaiton and subsequent publishing on issue related to the Ministry of Interior transparency. The nomination referred to the article: Our Police is the Biggest Security Company, 05.04.2012.

2.  Mr. Zhivko Konstantinov from Nova TV was nominated for using the APIA in revealing wrongdoings and breach of law in the production and sale of replicas and copies of Bulgarian cultural treasures, like the Panagyurishte Gold Treasure. Relying on the Access to Public Information Act, Konstantinov reveals that such replicas or copies are produced and sold by companies which do not have the license or the permission to do so.

Not verifying the source and presenting such replicas/copies of official guests or celebrities, the state willingly or not becomes the dealer of illegal copies of national cultural terasures. To emphasize his thesis, he shows even the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff with a copy/replica of the Panagyurishte Gold Treasure, questioning its legality.

Konstantinov’s investigation Treasures by Catalogue was broadcast in prime time as part of the series The Topic of Nova on 15.01.2012.

As a result of the broadcast investigation, the government launched inspections of all companies illegally dealing with such copies and items for trade. One of the companies is the subject of a criminal investigation on illegal use of public property for a commercial purpose. On the other two companies “caught” by Nova TV, there are still ongoing inspections by the Ministry of Culture’s Inspectorate for Protection of Cultural Heritage.

3. The local newspaper Otzvuk - Smolyan. This local media is working in harsh conditions as most regional and local media in Bulgaria. Otzvuk, however, is using the APIA and provides to its audience information on how the law could serve the citizens, including for achieving greater accountability of local government.

The newspaper has been filing requests for at least 2-3 years to the mayor of the municipality, the regional governor and other institutions in order to obtain information with regard to its ongoing investigations.

In 2011, it brought a lawsuit against the refusal of the mayor of Smolyan Ms. Dora Yankova to provide access to two contracts on waste disposal and management, which it won definitively in 2012. During the court proceedings, and after receiving the contracts themselves in the summer of 2012, articles were published which analyze the municipal policy with respect to these activities. The publications are based on information obtained under the APIA. Moreover, this fact is emphasized in them, which contributes to the raising of public awareness and encouraging citizens to use the law.
The media also reports on cases where citizens are using the APIA.

Right after the announcement of the AIP 2012 Active Transparency Rating of the Institutions,  the “Otzvuk” newspaper published an article analyzing the positions in the rating of institutions in the Smolyan Region on 21 April 2012.

Thus, the newspaper contributes to the promotion and dissemination of the values ??associated with access to information, transparency of institutions and their accountability to citizens at the local level, which provides a good example.

4. Ms. Doroteya Dachkova from Trud Daily was nominated specifically for her work on the number of the pardoned persons by the President. After an APIA request filed with the legal support of AIP, the journalist was granted access to the number of pardons issued, the grounds for each pardon, initials of the pardoned persons, and the Rules of Procedure of the Pardon Committee. Her publication from February 17, 2012: Marin Pardoned 232 Murderers was the first in a series of media articles on the topic which triggered wide public debate on the process of granting pardon. The media and public campaign brought to opening of the process.

5. Ms. Valya Ahchieva from the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) was nominated for the emission “Otkrito”: Who is violating patients’ rights?, aired on the BNT on 30 November 2011 at 22:00. In the documentary, the author Valya Ahchieva raises the question about the cameras put in operating rooms in one of the Sofia hospitals. She questions if such an action is violation of personal data and private life of the patients or is more in the protection of parients' right as the recording of such a camera may uncover other violations like the switch of the operating team, etc. The video of the surgery room is requested and provided by the hospital under the Access to Public Information Act. The law was presented in the documentary and a balance is sought between the right to freedom of information in the public interest and the protection of personal data.

The emission can be seen on BNT site:
http://bnt.bg/bg/productions/69/edition/18253/otkrito_30_noemvri_2011_koj_narushava_pravata_na_pacientite

6. “24 Hours” newspaper team was nominated for three publications dedicated to the case of the Corporate Commercial Bank and the state’s money held in it. The issue is important not only for the Bulgarian society but was the reason for an inspection by the European Commission on allegations of unlawful state aid.
All the publications are based on information obtained through APIA requests. Other media also took interest in the topic – “Trud” newspaper published the article Brussels is investigating Bulgaria because of the Corporate Trade Bank.

Nominated articles:
Tsvetan Vassilev – multimillionaire with state money  – 5 December 2011
Ministers are hiding how much are the state money in the Corporate Trade Bank  – 14 December 2011
Why did the classify state money in the Corporate Trade Bank? - 14 January 2012