Estonia: Media space needs protection from hostile propaganda: minister

Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Tiit Riisalo (Estonia 200), said that the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) had the right to protect Estonia’s media space from propaganda channels of hostile states, ERR reports. Riisalo said that TTJA had blocked 51 TV channels and 273 websites to date. Also, he noted that the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) had better information on the background of media outlets. At the same time, Riisalo stressed that there was no need for the state to assess and control media content, saying that it would be “unthinkable in the Estonian context.” Earlier, TTJA proposed amendments to begin monitoring media bias in news programmes. Riisalo said that TTJA’s proposal was “poorly worded.”