This article is part of a series of interviews with people who work in the media to provide the news and views that shape our perceptions of world affairs. Monika is the head of LNRT and sits on the EBU board. We had an interesting exchange about her current role, her vision and her professional career in media.
What is your professional career linked to the media?
I was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) in April 2018, and since then, me and my team have successfully reformed and modernized the public broadcaster. I was reappointed to the same position in 2023 for a second term. Before that, I worked as the editor-in-chief and a columnist for Lithuania’s biggest news website, DELFI, from 2000 to 2017.
I contributed significantly to building this news website from scratch to becoming number one in the market. Previously, I worked as a business news reporter and a reporter for Radio Free Europe and a local business paper. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in International Communication from Vilnius University.
What is your opinion about the role of the media?
The role and influence of the media are unfortunately weakening because audiences’ attention is highly fragmented, and the media often competes for it with various other forms of entertainment. Various studies show that audiences increasingly consume media through social networks and less directly through media websites or apps. Or they imagine they are consuming media, but social networks, primarily Meta, have recently severely restricted traffic to media sites, and the media has felt this impact significantly.
Meanwhile, Meta itself is struggling to control the spread of fake news on its platform. This creates a paradox—audiences consume more information, but there is less reliable and verified content among it. Nevertheless, in this unstable world, where hostile states can influence elections and sow discord in other countries’ societies through fake news spread on social networks, the media remains an institution capable of professionally gathering and verifying information. It is important that democratic states support both public broadcasters and quality commercial media.
How do you see the media in 10 years?
The media industry was one of those most negatively affected by various technological and other changes over the past decade. I believe that its job will not become easier; it will have to be very inventive to attract the audience’s attention, to be able to speak its language, and to remain relevant and important.
Unfortunately, it will have to compete with various influencers who often don’t bother to check information or engage in activism rather than journalism. Journalism as a profession has also lost some of its appeal: it’s often a demanding job with long hours and can be dangerous, as journalists become targets of various forms of persecution.
The media must not miss its opportunity, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence, to prove that they are the foremost experts capable of distinguishing fake news from facts.
Could you share an interesting work-related anecdote?
One of the funniest stories happened when I first started working at LRT. During a trip to the regions, a lady came to meet with the LRT team and complained live on air that after I joined, the broadcaster stopped dubbing movies from Japanese and other languages because she didn’t know how turn on the sound or subtitle functions.
What is the main challenge faced by media companies to conquer and retain the young generation?
The main challenge is that young audiences generally do not consume traditional media—at least not in the usual form. They mostly use YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and podcast platforms. Media outlets shouldn’t be afraid to involve them in content creation because they need to be informed too. We ask their opinions about the content, hosts, and how they want their channel to be named, among other things.
Children and youth are a strategic focus for LRT, and with the help of experts, we have divided them into five age groups, creating separate content for each group.
How has EBU’s mission changed as audience trends and technologies change?
I believe that EBU’s mission hasn’t changed due to audience trends or technological shifts—the core remains the same: EBU strives to secure a sustainable future for public service media. The EBU’s mission is to help its members, public broadcasters, adapt to these changes.
The EBU itself has successfully and rapidly adapted to changes. I admire this organization: despite being established long time ago and with deep traditions, the EBU is also quick, innovative, and very flexible. The EBU does enormous work, ensuring content exchanges for its members, helping to acquire sports rights, conducting various analyses, and ensuring member collaboration and the sharing of best practices.
LRT has adopted many good practices and ideas through this organization, and the EBU has helped us carry out digital transformation and supported us multiple times when we faced political pressure.
If you were to put your journalist hat back and had the opportunity to interview someone, whom would you choose?
It would be interesting to interview an expert who could share quality insights on what the world will look like in 20 years—regarding the erosion of democracy, the fragmentation of societies, the changed information landscape, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the perspectives and mindset of the younger generation. Where are we headed, and what awaits the West?