By: Gašper Blažič
The story of how the largest government party, through an investigative commission – now led by another “depoliticised journalist” temporarily involved in politics, Tamara Vonta, instead of Mojca Šetinc Pašek – aims to break all media that do not report in line with the interests of the ruling establishment, unfolds like a fable about a venomous snake. And evidently, it is gaining new momentum.
On December 1st, it caused a stir in the media when news circulated about the new position of former TVS director Uroš Urbanija, who became the editor of the news programme at Planet TV. Before the ink had even dried, the regime-affiliated Slovenian Journalists’ Association commented on this personnel move. They suggested that Urbanija’s appointment to such a position mocked journalism, stating, “Uroš Urbanija, as the head of the government communication office, interrupted the legally required funding for the public service of the Slovenian Press Agency for more than 300 days, almost pushing it into bankruptcy. People had to save it with donations,” among other remarks (you can find the full statement HERE). This sentence alone is evidence of how the regime’s professional organisation of socio-political workers is evading the issue. The financial situation of the Slovenian Press Agency was quickly resolved after Bojan Veselinovič left his directorial position (he is now the director of the municipal administration of the City Municipality of Kranj), and he was succeeded by former RTVS general director Igor Kadunc. Suddenly, Urbanija was no longer the problem; instead, it became clear that someone was holding the Slovenian Press Agency hostage, akin to how Hamas uses civilians in Gaza as hostages.
Let’s recap: Urbanija was then the director of UKOM, and this position is now held by former journalist Petra Bezjak Cirman. She happens to be married to Primož Cirman, considered the best investigative journalist in Slovenia according to Prime Minister Robert Golob.
The nomenclature cannot gain control of Planet TV
However, the reality is that the greatest pain for the entire transitional establishment is the fact that the financial collapse at RTV Slovenija began only after Urbanija had already left. The new “depoliticised” management, led by Zvezdan Martič (also a former journalist), started reducing financial expenditures, while also allegedly pressuring the government for new financial subsidies. Otherwise, they suggest, there will not be Olympic coverage on television. It has been recently demonstrated that this story involves straightforward intimidation and coercion, as shown by Igor Kadunc, who publicly explained the contractual rights for TV broadcasts of top sports events. He argued that any unilateral cancellations just before the events could cause even more severe financial damage.
The second pain for the establishment is that with the sale of Planet TV to the Hungarians, Telekom Slovenija caused the political underground to lose influence over the editorial policy of this media outlet. Foreign ownership itself does not necessarily bring independence (as seen in the case of Pop TV and the “all-encompassing” Finance), but Planet TV is a significant source of discomfort for regime-affiliated socio-political workers and, of course, their political idols who currently hold offices on Gregorčičeva Street in Ljubljana and elsewhere. Not surprisingly, shortly after Urbanija’s appointment as the new editor at Planet TV, media fists (such as the portal Necenzurirano) began writing stories about how Planet TV was essentially sold to the Hungarians by Janez Janša with the assistance of Rok Snežič. Mainstream media extensively covered this reporting. By the way, Planet TV, established in 2012, was sold in mid-2020, shortly after the arrival of the third Janša government. Considering that Telekom Slovenija is still a state-owned company with significant influence in government policy, it seems illogical for Janša to help sell Planet TV if he could politically control it through Telekom Slovenija and its subsidiaries. The fact that the current Hungarian owner TV2 is close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán actually proves nothing, considering that Janša and Orbán apparently have different positions on the war in Ukraine and the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Just incidentally: Telekom’s subsidiary is also TS Media, which still manages the Siol.net portal. During the previous government, Siol.net was edited by Peter Jančič. The Golob government then appointed Mihael Šuštaršič in place of Jančič, returning Siol.net to the media mainstream, while Planet TV slipped away because it is now privately owned. By the way: the Siol portal often quotes Golob-Odlazek’s propaganda portal Necenzurirano, where Primož Cirman, mentioned earlier, works, and until recently, Golob’s right-hand Vesna Vuković was also active.
Coordinated timing of police reports against Urbanija and Malačič’s sudden departure?
This is also the background of the events this week. Since the story about alleged text messages, which were supposed to prove Janša’s involvement in the politically motivated sale of Planet TV to the Hungarians, somehow did not resonate with the public, a new offensive followed this week. Yesterday, mainstream media began publishing a dramatic story about the first departures from Planet TV due to Urbanija. Denis Malačič is said to be the first to leave due to the alleged homophobia of his editorial boss. He posted a rather emotionally charged message on social media, saying he is leaving because he wants to be true to himself. Interestingly, considering that he had not emphasised his LGBT affiliation much before. Therefore, many wonder whether he did this on his own or if it was a coordinated act, perhaps even a result of pressure. Urbanija later clarified that he even praised Malačič, saying he is satisfied with his work, so he is all the more surprised. According to our information, there are expected to be more publicly discussed departures, confirming what the Slovenian Journalists’ Association wrote in its statement.
But apparently, the real stumbling block was that Urbanija allowed the viewpoint of family activists into the Planet TV programme, who had pointed out the government’s double standards in the burning of the rainbow flag:
Which should not be controversial for any media outlet. The problem would be if they only gave a chance to one side while censoring different opinions.
As we reported earlier, on Monday, the President of the Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, awarded Katarina Bervar Strnad with a special recognition for protecting human rights. Bervar Strnad is also the leading figure in the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, the organisation that, through the law firm Pirc Musar & Lemut Strle (!), filed a complaint against Uroš Urbanija. This complaint alleges his questionable role in the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The editor of Demokracija, Metod Berlec, and the editor of Nova24tv.si, Marko Puš, were also reported for alleged violations of personal data protection. Now, the police have taken action against Urbanija regarding the “STA affair”. Apparently, this is a coordinated action by the deep state, aiming to attack Urbanija and potentially undermine Planet TV. In simple terms: what you cannot control or obtain influence over, you must destroy. And this seems to be the rule that the current authorities are following.