“The Eight Dwarfs” demonstrated what the term “missing news” means in Bulgarian television

“Two of the leading Bulgarian televisions – BNT and Nova – have given a clear example in 2020 of the so-called “missing news.” They have practically not covered one of the most famous and comprehensive corruption investigations, known as the “Eight Dwarves.” BTV devotes a total of 36 minutes to airtime and is the only national television station to pay attention to the investigation until the release of the second part. Only then are BNT and Nova included – respectively, with 5 materials for a total of 3 minutes and 2 materials for 2 minutes and 40 seconds. And this limited coverage focused on the Prosecutor’s Office’s actions and reactions but said almost nothing about the investigation itself.” These are part of the observations of Dr. Ralitsa Kovacheva from Sofia University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has published a study seeking to determine whether topics neglected by the institutions are on the Bulgarian television’s agenda. The study was published in the latest issue of Medialog Magazine. A resume of the research here