In brief
At a virtual launch in Sofia’s Maxim Hall, the Bulgarian News Agency’s LIK magazine commemorated the 180th anniversary of the first Bulgarian newspaper, *Bulgarski Orel*. Speakers from BTA and Sofia University underscored how early journalists helped shape public opinion and nation‑building. While supporters stressed the press’s link to freedom of speech, the debate over its civic‑oversight role remains open.
The Bulgarian News Agency’s (BTA) *LIK* magazine marked the 180th anniversary of Bulgaria’s first newspaper, *Bulgarski Orel*, during a video‑linked launch at Bulgaria’s Maxim Hall on 11 November 2026.
The event, attended by BTA’s national press clubs in Bulgaria and abroad, showcased the magazine’s latest issue focused on the history and evolution of print media in the country. The program highlighted the press’s role in fostering national identity, freeing speech, and informing citizen oversight.
In a leading note, *LIK* Editor‑in‑Chief Georgi Lozanov explained that the development of the press is directly linked to the sense of self‑confidence that led to Bulgaria’s Liberation in 1878 and, later, became associated with the concept of freedom of speech. He added that people form opinions on important issues on the basis of the press and the media, and when these opinions converge, public opinion emerges.
“In a democratic state, public opinion governs those in power, while the development of the media makes it possible to create a new quality of governance that is subject to civic oversight,” Lozanov said.
Managing Director Yanitsa Hristova noted that BTA’s news reports offer a glimpse into the ambition, dedication and sense of mission with which the country’s first journalists, publishers and printers embarked on their work under difficult conditions, “Bulgaria was not a free country, while newspaper publishing and printing had already made significant advances and gained followers elsewhere in the world.”
Professor Zdravka Konstantinova of Sofia University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication stressed that Bulgarian journalism played a state‑building role before Liberation. She explained that the beginnings of periodical publishing date back to 1842, when Konstantin Fotinov published a trial issue of the magazine *Lyuboslovie*, and that the first Bulgarian newspaper, *Bulgarski Orel*, was published in 1846 by Ivan Bogorov. By September 1944, the country had produced more than 10,000 titles.
During the launch, the magazine’s editorial team highlighted how the print media’s trajectory mirrors the nation’s own path to self‑determination, noting that freedom of speech has grown in tandem with the growth of periodicals.
Both the BTA report and a parallel announcement on the ABNASE site listed the event as a video‑linked presentation at Maxim Hall. While the BTA piece cites the date as 11 November 2026, the ABNASE announcement refers to a Monday in November, implying a slight discrepancy that has not been clarified beyond the shared location and format of the launch.
Finally, the launch underscored the unresolved question of how the evolving media landscape may shape future civic oversight and democratic governance—a debate that remains open among scholars, journalists, and policy makers alike, reflecting the complexity of tracing the press’s past influence on public power dynamics.
