By: G. B.
That the Slovenian Journalists’ Association would also side with the Oštro portal and censorship in general is no surprise. This happened today with a public statement from the association, in which it calls on the police to take action. It is evident that the shutting off of financial pipelines from the U.S. has caused quite a bit of panic among the regime’s censors.
The Slovenian Journalists’ Association (DNS) strongly condemns the campaign against the editorial team of Oštro, which has recently faced accusations of censorship, blocking profiles on social media, and even threats. The editorial team of the mentioned portal, with which DNS has fully identified itself, rejects all accusations, while the association warns that offensive and hateful communication is completely unacceptable and reprehensible. At the same time, it calls on the police to take action.
The editorial team of Oštro has been particularly exposed to attacks over the past two months, specifically since Mark Zuckerberg announced the discontinuation of fact-checking on Meta in the U.S., the Slovenian Journalists’ Association pointed out in today’s response. Oštro has also warned in a public statement that false accusations portray them as censors of content on social networks like Facebook and Instagram, allegedly restricting content, ads, and users and even deleting them at their own discretion. “We firmly reject all accusations as false and unfounded,” they stated.
The journalistic professional organisation assessed that an organised smear communication campaign is undoubtedly underway against the editorial team. Oštro has been repeatedly attacked with baseless accusations by the president of the largest opposition party, Janez Janša, followed by journalistic reports on the Nova24TV portal. These were then followed by offensive comments under these articles, and the campaign continued on social media and even included threats via email, the association outlined. “The editorial team of Oštro receives emails with offensive content from various addresses, including one that contained a threat of physical violence, which is particularly concerning,” they emphasised.
The Slovenian Journalists’ Association also stressed that reasoned and critical public debate is always welcome, but offensive and hateful communication based on lies is absolutely reprehensible and unacceptable. “If such communication is encouraged by individuals, institutions, and groups with political, social, or economic power, it is more than irresponsible,” they warned.
The editorial team of Oštro responded with further clarifications. Among other things, they dismissed all claims of non-transparent financial sourcing. “Oštro, as a non-profit media organisation, is funded through public tenders and calls, as well as from its own activities, contributions, and donations,” they stated.
Regarding their partnership in Meta’s fact-checking project, they clarified that they have neither contractual obligations nor technical capabilities that would bind or enable them to censor or delete content and user profiles. This is solely within the domain of the Meta corporation. Oštro’s role is to label posts on Meta’s platforms related to fact-checking with a rating, accompanied by a link to the full article, where users can access comprehensive information.
“We live in a time of extraordinary but unpredictable development in information technology, which demands increasing knowledge and critical evaluation of information from all of us. Despite frequent threats and attempts to undermine the editorial team’s reputation, Oštro remains steadfastly committed to investigating topics in the public interest and to independent, in-depth, and critical journalism,” they emphasised.
The association also pointed out that any threats constitute a criminal offense and, if directed at journalists or media, carry even greater significance as they represent a direct attack on freedom of expression. They expect the police to take the threats seriously and initiate proceedings against the perpetrators. Journalists and editorial teams are urged to consistently report attacks to both journalistic organisations and the police. However, in this regard, the association has been quite inconsistent, as the editorial teams of Demokracija and Nova24TV (both the online portal and television) have also received numerous threats, including death threats. Yet, there has been no response from the regime’s journalists’ association.