Slovak government pushes ahead with move to replace RTVS, dealing fresh blow to media freedom

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On 24 April, Slovakia’s government approved a controversial proposal that would see the abolition of public broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) and its replacement with a new entity.

Under the proposals, the new body – Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) – will have its Director General selected by a new nine-member administrative council. The council’s members will be appointed by the Culture Ministry and Parliament – three members nominated by the culture minister, one by the finance minister, and the remaining chosen by Parliament. The changes could be approved by Slovakia’s parliament – where Prime Minister Robert Fico’s coalition government enjoys a majority – as soon as June.

Undermining independence

The bill was approved following significant controversy and backlash. The bill, first announced on 11 March, initially proposed the dissolution and replacement of RTVS, alongside the creation of a new programme council and a content oversight body that would give the government greater control and undermine the public broadcaster’s independence. Notably, the powers conferred the board of directors with powers to remove the current Director General from office without reason. In an amendment submitted last week, these elements were dropped after serious concerns were raised by the public and media freedom groups.

Read more: Slovak government urged to abandon new public media law

Initially, the proposal for a change in the management of public media came as the Slovak government considered RTVS biased against them, claiming that it was not fulfilling its public role. The first bill drafted by Robert Fico’s government implied a full dissolution of RTVS into two separate entities for radio and television. This proposal was described by the Slovak President as a thinly veiled attempt of political takeover of the public broadcaster.

Later on, as the separation of television and radio had been rejected, the Ministry of Culture argued the original and current name of the public broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) should be changed as it “degrades the state-forming nation to a region”. The new bill provided that the public media organisation should be re-named as the Slovak Television and Radio (STVR).

Despite its watered-down amendments, it appears that the proposal is an attempt to capture the public broadcaster and bring it under the government’s political control — all under the guise of national identity.

It is highly concerning that the government has approved this proposal despite the widespread backlash to RTVS’s dissolution and public support for the broadcaster. In recent weeks, there has been both domestic and international condemnation from civil society, public media experts, Slovak editors and journalists, and even the public. There have been mass protests, petitions, and statements, all denouncing the government’s proposals. The message has been clear: Slovakia’s media freedom is under siege, and the world is watching.

Further weakening media freedom

Even before the recent backlash, media freedom in Slovakia was under the microscope. In a 2023 Rule of Law report, the European Commission urged Slovakia to “continue with the process of strengthening the rules and mechanisms to enhance the independent governance and editorial independence of public service media taking into account the European standards on public service media.” Instead, the government’s approval of the RTVS bill clearly contravenes these recommendations and would only further jeopardise media freedom in the country.

The proposal is particularly acute ahead of the June 2024 EU elections. The decision to create a new entity that would be managed under the direct influence of political appointees not only undermines the core principles of public service media, but also puts citizens’ fundamental right to access objective information at risk.

Unfortunately, the developments in Slovakia echo a disturbing trend of media capture across Europe in recent years, such as in Hungary or in Poland under the former PiS-led government. More recent examples, including Greece and Italy, hint that the trend is far from over.

The Public Media Alliance (PMA) has stressed time and again that for public service media to be trusted, there must be guarantees that it is independent and represents a plurality of opinions, and that the news and information it provides for all citizens is impartial, accurate, and free from political interference.

The PMA Secretariat calls on the Slovak government to reconsider its plans to replace RTVS, which would only serve to undermine core principles of media governance and media freedom that are central to informed societies and democracy.