SOFIA – During a panel at Sofia University, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev argued that news should be considered a human right rather than a commodity. The discussion was part of a science readings event held by the university's Faculty of Law, marking the anniversaries of philosophers Immanuel Kant and Tseko Torbov.
According to Philippines News Agency, who spoke on the second day of the event in a panel titled "The Challenges of Information Society," news agencies need to reconsider their traditional revenue models. He proposed that access to BTA’s news be free, a shift from the more than 120-year practice of subscription-based services prevalent worldwide. This proposal was accepted by the Parliament, backed by the rationale that if misinformation is readily and freely available, authentic news should be equally accessible without charge.
Valchev explained this new approach at international forums of news agency executives, highlighting the conflict between a commercial news model and the philosophical values that prioritize 'good will' and natural rights over wealth and property rights. He cited Kant to support his thesis on "The Right to Knowledge as a Fundamental Human Right," emphasizing that the right to information stems from this fundamental right, akin to the right to education. Therefore, he argued, it is imperative for societies and states to fund and maintain independent news media as educational and cultural institutions, ensuring all citizens have free access to factual information.