Self-censorship in Bulgarian media has been on the rise and external pressure on journalists is often exerted by politicians, according to a study on the freedom of speech by the Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria.

64% of respondents said that they witnessed pressure on a colleague because of the content of their work and according to 70% there is internal pressure in media. One out of ten journalist was threatened with a lawsuit. 68% of the respondents indicated a rise in disinformation as a result of the war in Ukraine. At the same time, just 27% of journalists use fact-checking platforms.

Defamation of media and journalists, online and administrative harassment, prosecution, physical threats and extortion are among the most common attacks. Concentration of media ownership and lack of transparency were also highlighted as major problems.