LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA — Many journalists, academics and analysts expressed regret after the Slovenian Constitutional Court late last month put on hold parts of a new law on Slovenia’s public broadcaster RTV that the center-left government contends would limit direct political influence in the broadcaster’s work.
The court said parts of the law, prepared by the center-left government, could not be enforced until the court ruled whether they were in line with the Constitution. It did not say when it would rule on the matter, but such rulings often take months.
Meanwhile, the viewership of RTV’s television unit, TV Slovenia, has been falling, and many journalists report continuous pressure on their work by RTV management, which was put in place while the previous center-right government was in power.
There is less and less room for independent reporting at TV Slovenia, while a fall in viewership last year is worrisome, a senior anchor of the evening news, Tanja Staric, told VOA.
She is one of 38 staffers who in October received warnings that they faced dismissal if they breached their contract again. They had entered a studio during a live broadcast to show support for two colleagues they said were under pressure from the director of the TV unit.
Source : VOANews
