(Auto)Censorship in Bulgarian Media

The SIMO/CIA story

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Tageszeitung 30/05/2012

On 30/05/2012 the German newspaper Tageszeitung reported a story based on US diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks. The story revealed a codename for the CIA, found in many top secret cables - SIMO.

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Prime Minister Borisov Exposed...

«A former Head of the CIA, confirmed for Taz that SIMO and the CIA are the same thing. "SIMO is an administrative term for the CIA, actually used only for internal purposes, and as such, it should not have been used in the cables.»

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«Would Borisov have remained in office if the American secret service CIA had declared itself a key witness in the allegations against the Prime Minister?»

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The Document:

06SOFIA647 on

Wikileaks.org

Previously known

The Comment:

Tageszeitung

SIMO = CIA completely

new information

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Deutsche Welle 31/05/2012

The article was translated and published in Bulgarian on Deutsche Welle4с web site, then published by the BGNES news agency and by Novinite news agency in English.

In the classic media

• No such story on TV;
• No such story by any other news agency: BTA, Focus;
• No such story on Radio;
• No such story in newspapers (3 exceptions);
• Try a search: симо цру борисов site:bnt.bg

They are the 99%

The silent ones...

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

One week later...

• One of the most popular and commented stories on the Bulgarian internet
• More than 3000 Google references

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VESTI.BG

06/06/2012

Most Commented

Bulgarian National TV

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Bulgarian National Radio

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bTV

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Nova TV

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TV7

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Darik Radio

SIMO results not related to the story

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Focus News Agency

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Channel 3

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Trud Daily Newspaper

Result not related to the story

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Monitor Daily Newspaper

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

The SIMO story was published in:

• Sega Daily Newspaper;
• Capital Daily Newspaper;
• 24 hours Daily Newspaper;
• Weekly newspaper not monitored;
• Someone missing?

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

But why?

Tell it publicly and you'll lose your job?

SIMO

• Want to know the meaning of SIMO?
• Just ask the authors from Tageszeitung.
• Special Investigative Methods Organization
• But 99% of Bulgarian classic media are not asking such questions!

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg

Thank you!

contact@bivol.bg

ALDE Hearing on "Media Freedom in Bulgaria" 06 June 2012 Биволъ www.bivol.bg contact@bivol.bg