Vambola Paavo: ERR has allowed language standards to slip

Actor Vambola Paavo criticises increasingly frequent language errors on ERR's television and radio broadcasts, demanding that the state media use correct Estonian. According to his view, airtime should be as sacred to listeners as the stage is to an actor. Paavo warns that if Estonians themselves do not value their mother tongue, no one else will either.

Renowned actor Vambola Paavo has expressed concern about the declining standard of language use at Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR). In his view, what has been happening on air recently is simply dismaying.

"For an actor, the audience in the hall is sacred, and the same should apply to broadcasting," Paavo writes. "I would like to hear fluent language use. Unfortunately, it seems to be becoming increasingly rare."

State broadcasting as a model

Paavo emphasises that state broadcasting should be a guardian and exemplar of the Estonian language, not a place where poor communication skills become the norm. According to him, this is not merely an aesthetic question-the language heard on ERR's airwaves shapes what Estonians consider normal.

The actor points out that poor language use has begun to spread across both television channels and radio broadcasts, among both presenters and journalists alike.

The mother tongue needs protection

Paavo concludes his thoughts with a troubling question: if Estonians themselves do not value and respect their own mother tongue, then who will? He sees this as a broader social problem that extends far beyond ERR's boundaries.