Latvian Radio news staff back department head after storm-coverage criticism

Employees of Latvian Radio's News Department have issued a public letter apologizing to listeners for insufficient coverage during a recent devastating storm, while disputing that primary responsibility should fall on department head Uģis Lībietis, who announced his resignation over the matter.

The move follows an internal review by the Latvian Public Media (LSM) on Monday, which found that while information flowed extensively across digital platforms and television, radio news coverage during the storm fell short of expectations.

Staff accept some blame, but not all

The employees acknowledge they could have recognized the severity of the situation earlier and adjusted their work accordingly. However, they stress that more frequent news bulletins would not have restored electricity or communications, and that a broadcaster cannot report facts it has not yet verified. They note that news bulletins ran every half hour after the storm hit.

Support for Lībietis

The staff state they trust and support Lībietis and want him to continue leading the department. They say he stayed engaged throughout the crisis, kept in contact with colleagues, and shared information, and that they see no negligence in his actions that would justify his departure.

Call to review top LSM management too

The letter notes that LSM's own board has acknowledged broader shortcomings — gaps in internal communication and coordination, delayed decisions, and a lack of clear crisis procedures. Staff say it is unclear why responsibility for these wider, systemic issues has been concentrated on a single individual, and they call for the LSM board and editor-in-chief's work to also be assessed.

According to internal LSM regulations, response coordination during non-standard situations falls to the chief editor, meaning accountability cannot rest with one newsroom alone. The staff say they are not seeking to shift blame elsewhere, but want the focus placed on fixing systemic issues so the response improves in any future crisis.