Silence on air during storm triggers resignation at Latvian Radio, editor-in-chief's post also in question
Latvian Radio's News Service head Uģis Lībietis stepped down on Monday at the request of Latvian Public Media (LSM) leadership after news broadcasts were too infrequent during last weekend's storm. TV programme "De facto" reports that LSM editor-in-chief Anita Brauna's position may also be at risk.
Tension has gripped Latvian Radio's (LR) News Service this week after its head, Uģis Lībietis, resigned from his post. Colleagues reportedly joked bitterly that he was the only person in the country to lose a job because of last weekend's storm.
Lībietis decided to step down on Monday after being asked to do so by Latvian Public Media (LSM) board member Ieva Aile and editor-in-chief Anita Brauna. The reason cited was that news updates were not aired frequently enough on LR during and after the storm, even though radio was the only source of information available to many people at the time.
Uncertainty continues
Latvian Television's programme "De facto" reports that the personnel shake-up at LSM may not end with the change at the head of the News Service. According to the programme, editor-in-chief Anita Brauna's own position is also reportedly not secure.
It remains unclear who will take over leadership of LR's News Service going forward, or what will happen with Brauna's position. The events point to a broader internal discussion at the public broadcaster about how the news service responded to an emergency situation in which timely information was especially important for residents.
