Media in Slovenia

The latest in a series of monthly pensioner rallies led by Pavel Rupar, a former MP for the opposition Democrats (SDS), saw some of the protesters insult and threaten journalists at the headquarters of the Slovenian public broadcaster.

The Constitutional Court has revoked its earlier decision to stay key parts of the amended RTV Slovenija Act that was upheld in the November 2022 referendum, decreeing for the governing council of the public broadcaster to be inaugurated within seven days after the court's decision is published in the Official Gazette.

A comedy show about the behind-the-scenes reality of a high-end restaurant and two series based on the best-selling Slovenian crime novels were the most watched content on Slovenian cable TV last year, with ratings rivalling foreign content.

The Slovenian public broadcaster is caught up in a tug-of-war between the government and the management appointed by its predecessor that has escalated in recent days amid a legal conundrum.

A large proportion of journalists at RTV Slovenija staged a 24-hour strike on 4 April, the latest escalation of tensions in a long fight against the management and senior editors that the journalists claim are destroying the national public broadcaster through politically-motivated staffing and programming decisions.

Ljubljana – The Slovenian PEN Centre has warned of what it sees as unacceptable and harmful actions of the current management of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and its Programme Council. The PEN Centre believes the two bodies are not working to the benefit of the public but following instructions from the biggest opposition party.

Ljubljana – Last week has shown whose servants are the many journalist who were calling for journalistic autonomy under the previous, SDS-led government, including during the strike at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, the magazine Demokracija says in Thursday’s editorial, headlined Incest of Journalism and Politics Laid Bare.

Ljubljana – Uroš Urbanija, the director of the TV arm of RTV Slovenija, has decided to cancel the subscription for Mladina over an editorial that criticises staffing at the public broadcaster. The editor-in-chief of Mladina retorted that by attacking the weekly, Urbanija was trying to cover up what was going on at TV Slovenija.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Robert Golob has indicated that Dragan Barbutovski is being replaced as director of the Government Communication Office because he lacks organisational and managerial skills to run an office that the government would want to get help from in the war on hate speech.

Ljubljana – The government appointed journalist Petra Bezjak Cirman acting director of the Government Communications Office (UKOM) at a correspondence session on Thursday. A public call for applications for a full-fledged boss will be issued in two months, Prime Minister Rober Golob has said.