Berlin, March 23, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists and partner organizations offered strong support today for independent public service media in Lithuania and highlighted concerns about proposed amendments to the Law on Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), currently under consideration by the country’s parliament.
In a joint statement from the European Broadcasting Union and international media organizations, the coalition outlined several specific legislative threats within the draft that risk undermining LRT’s editorial, institutional, and financial autonomy.
Proposed measures include freezing LRT funding for three years without a comprehensive impact assessment, establishing vague and subjective grounds for the early dismissal of the broadcaster’s director, and expanding a governance model that enables intrusive oversight of daily editorial and programming activities. These measures threaten to blur the lines between strategic oversight and day-to-day autonomy, ultimately increasing the public broadcaster’s vulnerability to political pressure rather than strengthening its accountability.
Read the full joint statement here.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2026-03-23T16:21:10+00:00) CPJ, partners highlight threats to public broadcaster’s independence in Lithuania. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/03/23/cpj-partners-highlight-threats-to-public-broadcasters-independence-in-lithuania/
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