The fact, that journalists from the so-called Club 571 protect one another, is also evidenced by the fact, that the head of the TV show “Odmevi”, Tanja Starič, abruptly cut off Minister Aleš Hojs, when he mentioned that the editor of magazine “Mladina” Grega Repovž was also present at the protest on April 27, saying that he was only there for business reasons and not as a participant in protests. If we relate such a protective attitude of the TVS journalist to the editor of magazine “Mladina”, with the fact that the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia recently paid “Mladina” subscriptions of more than twelve thousand euros, than the matter may become more transparent.
Because of this behaviour, Boris Tomašič, the director of NTV24.si d.d and Nova hiša d. o. o., and Jože Biščak, the director of Nova obzorja d.o.o. and editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine “Demokracija”, wrote an open letter to the editor-in-chief of the news program on TV Slovenia Manica J. Ambrožič. It is commendable, as they wrote, that Mrs. Starič protected her journalist colleague, but the same criteria would be expected from TVS journalists also in the case of all journalists from other media. In doing so, they recalled on media coverage of the allegedly illegal funding of Demokracija and Nova24TV, although this was proven to be untrue.
When, at any time, any guest on their media will speak about these media and will associate them with illegal financing or spreading hate speech, Tomašič and Biščak are asking them to interrupt him immediately and explain that they have already written to them and warned them, that this is not true. The signatories of the letter inform the TVS news program that Nova24TV, nova24tv.si, Demokracija and Demokracija.si are not illegally or in any way controversially funded media, that they are not political party media and that they act in accordance with journalistic standards and do not spread any hateful, impatient or controversial speech. Therefore, in the future, they expect that, according to professional standards, broadcasters on TVS will apply the same criteria for all, which they should do anyway, since the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia is financed by all taxpayers and should therefore respect the principles of impartiality. But it seems like it will be a long time before this kind of behaviour will really become established on “Kolodvorska street” in Ljubljana…