Ombuds: LSM's Decision to Broadcast Show with New Unity Live Was Inexpedient

The Ombuds for Latvian Public Electronic Mass Media, Edmunds Apsalons, has reviewed three complaints concerning LSM's editorial decision to broadcast live on LTV1 on May 15 the program 'What Should the 15th Saeima Be Like?' with participation of the 'New Unity' (JV) party. The complainants alleged that this indicated unequal treatment of political parties, as other episodes of the series were only streamed live on the portal 'lsm.lv' and aired as recordings on television.

In his assessment, Apsalons stated that the decision to air the live broadcast was based on the topicality of events at the time, not on an intent to favor any party. However, he deemed the live broadcast inexpedient because it did not provide viewers with information that could not be obtained otherwise or at a different time. At the same time, the ombuds emphasized that there is no evidence that the decision was influenced by politicians, parties, or other individuals.