By: Vinko Vasle
Slovenian journalism is in transition at this time – from communism to communism. It is an advancement of the message value of agitprop, which I personally remember from the times of the Communist. The difference is that the Communist did not lie, but only wrote Leninist-Marxist nonsense. Today, this is not enough because people are no longer stupid, but are blinded. Therefore, journalism has adapted to this.
A typical example is Tarča show of the Public Television, where the editorial staff, with the help of outside experts, invents facts, and then retroactively proves them with a sophisticated selection of interlocutors, where some know what to say and others do not have time, because Erika Žnidaršič is in a hurry. Erika did a great job. Her behind is smaller. She went from some entertaining shows to serious journalism of Milan Kučan and today even surpasses the famous Goebbels of the American yellow scene of Jerry Springer. He let his characters bang on each other and enjoys it, and Erika bangs on characters who are not hers.
Then, of course, we have the eminent journalist Blaž Zgaga, who is known throughout Europe – not for his journalism, but for his sacrifice. He is one of the most persecuted, life-threatened and slandered journalists in the history of Slovene journalism. His ability also lies in copying and sending about three texts about hatred towards Janez Janša across Europe, and because those there do not know what the truth is, they believe him. It is not the job of journalists to check something, because it requires a lot of effort. Right-wingers, fascists and home guards are just making fun of Zgaga, which is one of the worst attacks on hysterical journalism in Slovenia.
Without a doubt, it would be an academic sin to overlook the role of Dr Marko Milosavljević, who teaches agitprop journalism at FDV. Milosavljević is an academic correspondent of the left for the Balkans, where he tells how the dictatorship of Janša can be even worse than, for example, in his native Serbia, although it is hard to imagine that. As a great theorist of journalism who has never written a single journalistic text in his life, he is a constant guest of the public house. According to the type of agitprop, he also belongs there, and this is no surprise. The left likes to send him on business to Brussels, where he explains to blind MPs what is happening to our journalists. In doing so, he uses academic lies, which are allowed because they are not prohibited anywhere, and the Slovenian University, regardless of its code of ethics, does not have the time to deal with it. Of course, some time ago he commented on the last violent protests in Ljubljana with the Balkanoid N1 and did not overlook the academic lie that the protests were peaceful, only Janša’s underlings were making a mess. Nothing ugly can be said about Milosavljević, because he is an academic and supposedly has academic immunity. Lastly, he also brought “berufsverbot” into the media methodology, because he declared one of those invited to TV Odmevi, Dr Peter Gregorčič, as incompetent commentator, because he is an engineer officer and has no references. Well done, doctor and academic!
Zlatan Čordić did not make a great career with his rap, so he found an emergency route and joined the revolutionaries who are overthrowing the fascist regime without fascists. Čordić is the author of the so-called hooligan street TV journalism, he does not tolerate dissenting TV crews, steals cameras and loves to use threats in his revolutionary mission. He was still beardless at the first protests, but now, judging by his beard, he is closer to the Salafists.
Erik Valenčič represents the armed journalistic forces. Because the type of journalism “what is not true, is the truth” sometimes has to be defended with weapons. He is an honorary member of Hamas, and of the emerging elite detachments of the Levica party and Tanja Fajon in Slovenia. Of course, his work has nothing to do with journalism, which is a fundamental principle on public RTV SLO, so he can be comfortably employed there.
Like some 1,500 similarly redundant forces.
Vinko Vasle is a long-time journalist, publicist, satirist and writer.
