The World Briefly

April 26, 2024

Lessons Learned

Slovakia

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The government of Slovakia on Wednesday approved a plan to abolish the country’s public broadcaster as part of a string of measures enhancing the state’s control over its media, a move critics said would endanger the independence of the press, the BBC reported.

Prime Minister Robert Fico said the bill was necessary because of questions over the broadcaster’s neutrality. The proposal triggered protests last month on the streets of the capital, Bratislava, and outrage among local journalists, opposition politicians and international observers.

Culture Minister and former reporter Martina Šimkovičová, who introduced the plan, accused the Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) of pushing “political activism” and giving a platform only to “mainstream opinion.” The broadcaster has denied the allegations.

RTVS will be replaced by a new organization called Slovak Television and Radio (STVR).

The current director-general of RTVS will be sacked, and a five-member Council appointed by ministers and parliament will handpick his replacement.

Last month, the European Broadcasting Union, the world’s largest public media alliance, criticized the proposal, saying it would breach the European Union’s Media Freedom Act.

Šimkovičová insisted the most recent version of the bill complied with EU legislation after being stripped of some of its most controversial components, including the creation of a council to manage editorial decisions – described by critics as outright censorship.

Meanwhile, 1,200 RTVS staff members signed a petition against the proposal, while 80,000 people signed an open letter to the EU in support of RTVS, the Guardian reported.

Opponents worry that Fico, who has long been critical of journalists and previously resigned from his position as prime minister after one investigating his allies was murdered in 2018 for corruption, will strengthen the country’s pro-Russian stance similar to Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, the Associated Press wrote.

Šimkovičová, now part of the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, previously worked for an online television network accused of pro-Russian bias and disinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The changes are expected to easily pass parliament, where Fico and his allies have a majority, and take effect in June.

This story originally appeared in the April 26, 2024 newsletter, Plows to Swords.