RTV

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 – 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.

Ljubljana – Uroš Urbanija, who served as the head of the Government Communication Office (UKOM) under the previous government, will be appointed director of TV Slovenija by RTV Slovenija general director Andrej Grah Whatmough on Monday, RTV Slovenija said in a press release on Friday.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly passed in 53:26 vote on Thursday changes to the act on RTV Slovenija with which the government would like to reduce what it sees as the influence of politics on the public broadcaster. The changes come after RTV journalists recently went on strike twice demanding editorial autonomy.

Koper – The regional newspaper Primorske Novice says in Tuesday’s commentary that only politics can drive politics out of the media, as it urges the Robert Golob government to do this at RTV Slovenija and then to resist the temptation to exert political pressure itself.

Ljubljana – The government adopted and filed to parliament on Friday a bill to reform the model of management and oversight at RTV Slovenija to reduce what is perceived as political meddling with the public broadcaster. This comes after RTV journalists recently went on strike twice demanding editorial autonomy.