Public trust in the media is low in Slovakia, reaching only 37 percent. Slovaks believe that state security is used as an excuse to restrict freedom of expression. These are the findings of the Media Freedom Report published on Monday (24 April) by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe. The report looks at the main developments in media freedom in 18 EU countries, including Slovakia, in 2022. It focuses on three themes: media freedom and pluralism; safety and protection of journalists; and freedom of expression and dissemination of information.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year had a significant impact on Europe's media environment, according to the report. The EU has responded to the spread of Russian propaganda on social media by pressuring major digital platforms to take action against Russian state accounts. It has also imposed sanctions on Russian state media and called for further action to combat disinformation online. The report found that in most EU countries there has been no overall progress on media freedom, and in some countries the situation has worsened. In many countries, journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to do their jobs. They face harassment, physical and verbal attacks, especially online or during protests. The use of strategic lawsuits against public participation, which burden journalists with legal defence costs, is also on the rise.
In Slovakia, as in Ireland, public service media are struggling financially. The report also notes the abolition of licence fees in Slovakia. Concentration of media ownership threatens pluralism in the Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and France, according to the report. Unfair and unclear distribution of state advertising and subsidies is cited as a problem in Hungary and Poland, where pro-government media receive disproportionate financial support. The independence of media and telecommunications regulators is also questionable in both countries. Public media in Hungary and Poland remain under government control and have recently come under political pressure from the new government in Sweden. On a positive note, the report notes that a new media law has been in force in Slovakia since August 2022, establishing a Register of Public Sector Partners, allowing the public to find out who is really behind specific media outlets. Editorial offices in Slovakia are obliged to publish a list of all investors and donors who have contributed more than 2,000 euros in a year, or face a fine of up to 100,000 euros.
Source: TASR, RTVS.sk
