By: ZNP
Sunday’s parliamentary elections showed a tight result between the two political blocs, with the Freedom Movement narrowly overtaking SDS, which finished in second place with a very similar number of votes and seats. Despite this, TV Slovenia, a public broadcaster financed by all citizens through the mandatory RTV fee, invited four commentators to the studio to discuss the election results, all of whom have consistently supported the positions of the outgoing government and criticised SDS over the past four years. Among them was even a former LDS politician who had been forced to resign after the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption found irregularities related to the leasing of a building for the National Bureau of Investigation.
Such a one‑sided selection of guests represents an obvious lack of balance and a violation of the fundamental principles of public television. RTV Slovenia is not a private media outlet but a public institution with a legal obligation to ensure pluralism of opinions and balanced reporting. As mandatory fee payers, we have a legitimate right to hear arguments from all major political sides during key moments – such as election night – especially those that the elections themselves have confirmed as relevant.
Unfortunately, this is a continuation of a pattern that has been solidifying at RTV Slovenia since the adoption of the amendment to the RTV Act, on which the Constitutional Court refuses to rule, and the appointment of the current leadership structure by the previous government.
The unbalanced selection of guests in political programmes, the clear dominance of one ideological and political camp, and the systematic exclusion or marginalisation of dissenting voices have become standard practice at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia.
The Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP) therefore demands from the RTV Slovenia leadership:
- an immediate change in the practice of selecting guests in socio‑political programmes and the provision of at least approximate ideological balance,
- respect for the pluralism of opinions,
- that editors and journalists avoid lineups that clearly favour only one side.
ZNP will closely monitor the conduct of RTV Slovenia in this area in the future and will publicly call out every similar practice.
Pluralism and balance are not voluntary choices of RTV leadership under the guise of independence, but legal and ethical obligations of a public media service.
We also call on the Constitutional Court to, after three and a half years, take the amendment to the RTV Act, which enabled the government of Robert Golob to politically take over RTV Slovenia, out of the drawer and fulfil its duty by ruling on its constitutionality. Given that the balance of the Constitutional Court has changed, excuses about a deadlock are no longer possible.
Executive Board of ZNP, 24 March 2026
