A session of the culture and media parliamentary committee was held on Thursday also to seek explanations from the public broadcaster RTVS's general director Jaroslav Rezník on what is happening in RTVS. A week ago, a group of journalists published an open status on social media describing the recent decision by the RTVS management to dismiss several editors as an attempt to silence critics. Parliamentary Vice-chairman and committee member Bela Bugar (Most-Hid) asked Jaroslav Rezník to explain the situation. According to him, the RTVS management should have communicated the changes within the public broadcaster better. At the same time he expressed his disgust about how the entire situation in RTVS is being reported by the media.
"No political power has been interfering with the work of the Radio and Television Slovakia public broadcaster, and it never will," stated RTVS general director Jaroslav Rezník, adding that while he was in this post no other power would interfere with the broadcasting of RTVS either. "Despite everything published in the media I declare that the RTVS news service is working freely," said Rezník.
According to former culture minister Marek Maďarič (Smer-SD), the situation in RTVS is not good. "If 60 editors write a letter to the public, this isn't a sign of a good situation," he said. Maďarič finds it important not to have people linked to political parties at the posts of chief editors of the public broadcaster's newsroom.
In connection with World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3, Slovak President Andrej Kiska wrote on Facebook that he was watching the current situation in the public broadcaster RTVS with great concern. Kiska considers the alleged censorship and groundless dismissing of reporters in RTVS to be unacceptable. According to the president, Slovakia is one of the countries where media serve as a watchdog of democracy by revealing corruption, clientelism and pointing to institutions' flaws when the government authorities are failing.
Representatives of Slovak culture also gathered on Thursday in front of the Governmental office and expressed their support for the RTVS newsroom journalists. "This is not the murder of Kuciak, it's not a brutal act full of blood, it's discreet, that's why this censorship is dangerous," said Slovak rap star Vec or Branislav Kováč for RSI in his reaction to information published about the tense atmosphere in the RTVS newsroom.
The Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava is also concerned about the public broadcaster's situation. In its statement the faculty said that since it has been educating future journalists for over 60 years, the faculty was not indifferent towards the fate of RTVS. "We're convinced that it would be beneficial for all to continue the work that has made the RTVS news service the most trusted news service in Slovakia," said the faculty.
Last week, the RTVS leadership dismissed four external news service employees, some of whom had been working within the public broadcaster for between three to five years. According to RTVS spokesperson Erika Rusnáková, the current management accepts the plurality of opinions when it comes to talks with news service editors. "They work in a completely free atmosphere, without any external or internal interference and political influence vis-a-vis their news service work and the selection of themes," added Rusnáková, noting that within internal discussions the importance of balanced, objective, impartial and trustworthy news is highlighted.
On Thursday, the Culture and media parliamentary committee decided the RTVS should communicate better externally as well as internally.
