VILNIUS - The Lithuanian parliament's Committee on Culture decided on Wednesday to take the initiative to create a new media support model after rejecting amendments drafted by the Culture Ministry.
The committee decided to set up a task force to work out a new model.
The Culture Ministry-drafted amendments to the Law on Provision of Information to the Public called for liquidating the existing Press, Radio and Television Support Foundation and creating a Media Support Foundation instead.
The Committee on Culture rejected the amendments without discussing them.
According to the committee's chairman, Ramunas Karbauskis, the ministry failed to take into consideration the committee’s opinion that both the Press, Radio and Television Support Foundation should be left in place and a new Media Support Foundation should be established.
The new foundation would provide funding for programs that are not supported by the existing foundation, he said.
The Council of the Press, Radio and Television Support Foundation is currently made up of seven members delegated by the foundation's 19 stakeholders, including journalists, publishers, broadcasters, art creators' organizations and the Culture Ministry.
The foundation's budget has been unchanged at 2.75 million euros in recent years.
The foundation has lately come under criticism for an uneven funding of cultural periodicals, some of which have been forced to reduce frequency after receiving less money in recent years.
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