The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) intends to introduce legislation requiring media service providers to adhere to ‘valid and impartial’ positions in news programs. The possibility of extending these regulations to all broadcasts will also be considered.
After numerous opinions were posted online and released in mainstream media, the TTJA adjusted its proposal to stipulate that only non-European Union news providers would have to abide by the recommended standards.
The TTJA explained that the Estonian information base must be protected against hostile misinformation originating from non-EU sources. Estonia should take Latvian regulations as a “positive example” where control of the media gets much “greater attention”.
One must note that Estonia placed fourth on the World Press Freedom index in 2022. Latvia, in contrast, held the twenty-second position.
