Balgarianovinite.com The Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ–Bulgaria) Tuesday strongly condemned an article in an online newspaper that the organization says shifted blame for a recent murder onto the female victim. The article in Telegraph.bg risked normalizing femicide in Bulgarian media, the organization warned.
The article, titled “Sofia Shooting: Stela Cheated on the Boxer With a Loan Shark!” and published on November 9, 2025, is no longer accessible on the Telegraph.bg website.
AEJ–Bulgaria criticized the piece for presenting a series of degrading claims about the murdered woman without indicating any evidence or reliable sources. Instead of denouncing the killing, the association said, the story appeared to demonize the victim while eliciting sympathy for the perpetrator.
According to the organization, this type of reporting is not merely unethical—it is dangerous. AEJ–Bulgaria warned that narratives framing victims as responsible for their own deaths contribute to a media environment in which femicide is justified or normalized. This comes amid alarming national statistics: at least 22 women have been killed in Bulgaria since the beginning of the year, according to data from Feminist Mobilizations.
The association emphasized that such coverage also deepens the grief of the victim’s family and conflicts with the Ethical Code of Bulgarian Media. Particularly troubling is the potential impact on the children of both the victim and the perpetrator, who may encounter the article and suffer further trauma. The case involved the killing of a mother by her partner, who then took his own life.
AEJ–Bulgaria calls on the management of Telegraph.bg and Nova Broadcasting Group, the media company that owns the outlet, to make public their position on the publication and address the ethical issues raised. Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria Condemns News Article on Woman’s Murder, Warns against Justification of Femicide in News Media 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-18 13:54:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law