Latgale's municipalities are ready to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development on the content of publications, but residents say that municipal newsletters, especially for the elderly, are needed.
People interviewed in Balvi municipality also note that the printed press, including the municipality's newsletter is necessary and is read mostly by older people.
"Of course, I read it [..]. Older people probably need it, because when they read it's something else. We are used to it as older people, but for young people, I think - no, they don't."
"The parish also offers the newspaper, but I don't take it. But for those who don't have internet, I think that's the place where they find out [information]."
"I read news on the internet. I am a young generation person. There are many older people who don't even know how to work on the internet. My godmother knows what the internet is, but she doesn't know what to do with it. She only reads newspapers [..] and there are a lot of [people] like that. We need, we definitely need it."
The municipality of Balvi continues to publish its newsletter "Balvu Novada Ziņas". It looks like a newspaper. It is published once a month, with a circulation of 9000 copies. The July issue contains a lot of information about the work of the municipality, all the more so as the municipality is undergoing structural changes and staff reductions as a result of the tight financial situation. Information about the Osvalds Festival, a paid event, is printed opposite.
"The legislation is quite strict about what we can publish in our newsletters," says Sergejs Maksimovs, Chairman of the Balvi Municipal Council (Latgale Party).
He is convinced that a municipal newsletter is necessary for the municipality to inform its residents about what is happening in the municipality; usually, most of the publication is taken up by the municipality's binding regulations and changes to them, which is the main reason why Balvi municipality publishes this newsletter in the first place.
"Of course, we have a discussion with the Balvi municipality newspaper "Vaduguns" that we could publish more information about the project. A municipal newsletter informs, not shapes public opinion. If they start doing that, then I can call it unhealthy competition," says Maksimovs.
Guntars Līcis, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Press Publishers Association, however, believes that municipal news outlets should not engage in pseudo-journalism, thus creating unhealthy competition in the media market.
"If a municipal newsletter tries to engage in pseudo-journalism, this is unacceptable. There are municipalities that strictly follow the rules, but there are many municipalities that are not clear about hidden advertising, covering their events and not only their own. It is not enough to have laws and regulations, but it is necessary to train these people who are involved in providing information to the public. It is normal for a municipality to provide its own information, but it is not normal for it to engage in pseudo-journalism," stresses Līcis.
The Local Government Law determines what material can be published in municipal newsletters. Ilze Oša, Undersecretary of State for Regional Development at the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, points out that the ministry does not control every publication, but there are certain criteria that municipalities have to follow.
"We have developed information and methodological material on how municipalities should look at the presentation of information, and the main criteria are that the information should not be commercial, but politically neutral and presented objectively and accurately. If it is said that a cultural event is taking place in a municipality and people are invited to it, as long as it is not commercial, of course, it can be published in the newsletter," explains Oša.
Municipalities spend different amounts on the production, printing, and distribution of the newsletter. Although the print runs are much the same - between 7,000 and 9,000 copies per month - the amounts spent vary.
For example, the Rēzekne municipality newsletter is published only when there are important changes in legislation and costs the municipality EUR 8,500 per year. In Augšdaugava municipality, on the other hand, the newsletter is produced by the Public Relations and Information Department, distributed by the municipality itself and printed for less than 2000 euros.
The budget of the municipality of Balvi allocates under 50,000 euros for the newsletter.
The border municipality of Ludza is the only municipality in Latgale that does not have its own newsletter, and while all municipalities in Latgale plan to continue publishing their own newsletters next year, Ludza is not planning to do so under the pretext of high costs.
