The current prime minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has been waging a war with the media for a long time. Over the years, the political veteran has publicly described journalists as “foolish hyenas”, “snakes”, “dirty anti-Slovak prostitutes” or “corrupt Soros pigs for whom the water is already boiling”.
But now his conflict with the media appears to be entering a whole new phase after his government approved a controversial reform this week that would see the state-run public broadcaster shut down and be replaced by a new organisation.
The current director will be released, although his term expires in 2027. At the head will be a new director and a new 7-member Board of Directors, whose representatives will be elected on a quota basis by the government and parliament.
The changes are expected to take effect in June after they are approved by parliament and Fico’s coalition majority.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico
The proposal for the radical reform comes from the Minister of Culture, Martina Šimkovićova, and also envisages a name change – “Radio and Television of Slovakia” (RTVS) will be replaced by “Slovak Television and Radio” (STaR).
“We are returning the adjective ‘Slovak’ to the name because it represents a declaration of the unambiguous national and state-building character of our public television,” said Šimkovicová, who is part of the ultra-nationalist “Slovak National Party” in Fico’s coalition government.
She herself is a former television journalist who has been widely criticized for spreading conspiracy theories and believes that in its current form RTVS acts as a tool for “political activism” and the changes are intended to correct the current lack of objectivity and representation of only “mainstream” opinions and ignoring alternative viewpoints.
For his part, Fico believes that, in its current form, state radio and television cannot fulfill its main function of satisfying the public’s right to receive objective information.
“How can she do that when she is involved in a constant battle with the government?” asked the prime minister on Wednesday after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, adding that the cabinet is currently dealing with serious problems inherited from previous governments.
“We want to do our work in an objective media environment that will criticize the government if necessary, but at the same time will not ignore the positive steps it is taking,” notes Fizzo.
The point is that such gross state intervention in the media environment can hardly be accepted in Europe as a positive step.
In Slovakia, the opposition reacted with demonstrations in the country’s two largest cities – Bratislava and Košice, while 1,200 RTVS employees held a symbolic protest on April 26 within the so-called “Black Thursday”. They argue that the changes will turn the media into a tool for spreading state propaganda.
International reactions are similar. Last month, the European Union for Radio and Television (EURT) warned that the planned changes would turn RTVS into a state-controlled media outlet.
“This would be a dangerous step backwards for democracy and freedom of expression. Independent and objective public media serve as a cornerstone of a healthy society, providing citizens with diverse viewpoints and holding those in power accountable,” believes ESRT President Noel Curran, who notes , that the draft law violates European norms and principles, including the European Media Freedom Act.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Fico’s government’s actions are at odds with last year’s report on the rule of law in Slovakia by the European Commission, which called for “encouraging the process of strengthening rules and mechanisms to improve media independence”.
Fitzo and his political partners seem to have gone in exactly the opposite direction.
The veteran in Slovak politics was at the head of his country for a total of 10 years – between 2006 and 2010 and then in the period 2012-2018. Then he was forced to resign after mass protests over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. shot in their home.
During his lifetime, Kuciak was highly critical of Fico. He works mainly on topics related to corruption, tax fraud and connections between representatives of organized crime, business and politics. His latest investigation reveals the relationship of the Italian mafia clan ‘Ndrangheta with Fizo’s closest political associates in his Smer – Social Democracy party.
However, he returned to power again last October, but this time after a strong Eurosceptic and pro-Russian election campaign and in a coalition with “Voice – Social Democracy” and extreme nationalists from the “Slovak National Party”.
It is no coincidence that one of his first actions was to freeze military aid to Ukraine.
Even then, he declared as “enemies” RTVS, along with another television, several newspapers and online media, whose representatives were excluded from all government events at the expense of uncritical media.
The action provoked a sharp reaction from Reporters Without Borders, the International Media Institute, the European Federation of Journalists and the European Center for Freedom of the Press and Media. Then it came to nothing.
Even now, the protests are unlikely to divert Fico from his campaign against media freedom.
