By: Ivan Šokić
The Government Communication Office drew attention to the ubiquitous censorship of the public house RTV in the latest analysis of reporting by RTV Slovenia, prepared for the period from March 28th to April 3rd, 2022. According to Ukom, only like-minded people are invited to selected broadcasts, and selective reporting is still a problem. They also pointed out unclear criteria for editorial decisions and drew attention to cases of unpunished sexism on RTV Slovenia. As such an example, they pointed out the non-reporting on the camp of the NSi party from April 2nd, 2022, while the presentation of the candidates of the non-parliamentary party Vesna was included in Dnevnik.
The latest Ukom analysis of RTV Slovenia’s reporting for the period between March 28th and April 3rd, 2022, highlights several controversial practices. Unlike in previous weeks, both TV Slovenia, the MMC web portal and Radio Slovenia strive for the same possible representation in Ukom’s analysis.
Ukom pointed out Dnevnik’s selective reporting on RTV Slovenia of March 28th, 2022, on the decision of the RTV Slovenia management to treat the Naša dežela party of Aleksandra Pivec as a parliamentary party based on the legal succession of the DeSUS party in the 2022 election. Ukom also points out that the Alenka Bratušek’s party, which was recognised as the legal successor of Positive Slovenia, received the same treatment as Pivec in 2014 by the management of RTV Slovenia, although the Positive Slovenia continued to exist, as does DeSUS today. Similar manipulations were also present in Odmevi show.
Radio Slovenia, meanwhile, has launched a report by Amnesty International, which estimates that 2021 in Slovenia was marked by numerous attacks on human rights. Prime Minister Janez Janša was singled out. According to Ukom, this is a one-sided presentation, but it is certainly disputable that neither the Prime Minister, nor the government, nor the Ministry of the Interior were asked to respond. According to Ukom, the threat to individual journalists in Slovenia, Marcel Štefančič, shows how much the right to free expression is endangered: “There are fu**ing more of us than them, there are only a handful of them, and we know exactly who they are…”
Štefančič landed under the scrutiny of Ukom on charges of sexism by RTV Slovenia journalist Rajka V. Pupovac when he dared to order his colleague to help him put on his jacket. The act is allegedly disputable because the co-worker does not have such a thing defined in the contract. At Ukom, they miss the response of those responsible regarding Štefanič’s action.
According to Ukom, on April 1st, 2022, Dnevnik on TV Slovenia censored an important statement by SAB MP Maša Kociper from the Culture Committee at an emergency session convened at the request of the opposition, where they discussed current events in connection with RTV Slovenia. Namely, Kociper demanded an end to Ukom’s analyses of RTV Slovenia’s media coverage, as in her opinion this was “a form of the worst Nazism”. The statement of the Ombudsman for the Rights of Spectators Marica Uršič Zupan, who pointed out the threats of the majority against the minority of journalists, and the statements of Igor Pirkovič as the biggest victims of violent colleagues, were also censored.
Finally, Ukom pointed out that some journalists at a public house like to confuse a job with a private life. So, they use their private Twitter profiles for business purposes. The problem arises when it is not clear when it comes to political activism that belongs to the private sphere and when it comes to journalistic work. Ukom therefore suggested that RTV Slovenia journalists use official profiles at work, and that they can continue to promote political activism on their private profiles.