“Na Chisto” Celebrates Five Years of Investigative Journalism
The USAID-supported weekly TV investigative program “Na Chisto” (Clean Slate) celebrated its fifth anniversary at a ceremony in Sofia in May 2008. Deputy Chief of Mission Alexander Karagiannis, Executive Director of the Broadcast Training Center ProMedia Petko Georgiev, and President of the Board of NOVA TV Silva Zurleva, spoke at the event.
The event highlighted the recent “Freedom of Speech – a Signal to Europe” award given to Na Chisto reporter Kristina Koleva by the Austrian affiliate of the media freedom non-governmental organization Reporters without Frontiers. Her award-winning episode featured a dramatic instance of mismanagement by the Ministry of Health which prevented access to critical medication for cancer patients.
Three-time Emmy-award winning American journalist Pamela Baldwin made a video statement highlighting the impact of the prestigious award. The Broadcast Training Center (BTC) ProMedia, producer of “Na Chisto,” is dedicated to the investigation of corruption, organized crime and abuse of power. A premier USAID legacy in Bulgaria, BTC is an independent producer of high-quality TV programming and provider of training services to the media community in Bulgaria and the region. BTC has produced over 250 “Na Chisto” episodes.
The “Na Chisto” audience and ratings have steadily increased in recent years. The cumulative program audience includes millions of Bulgarians, with over 400,000 viewers watching the program on a regular basis. Its impact can be measured by dismissals of government officials, prosecutions against university presidents, withdrawal of draft legislation serving vested interests, and the revocation of shady privatization deals. As a direct result of the broadcasts, many of Bulgaria’s public institutions have improved transparency standards.
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