Prime Minister says there are hostile and friendly media

Prime Minister Fico said he considers one TV station, two newspapers and an online news publication as hostile media. He is considering limiting their access to government buildings. He also said he would look into the 26 million euros that TV Markiza received from the previous government.
He did not specify. Dennik N speculated that he was referring to advertising spending by government agencies on the station, such as the tourism board and the state-owned lotto Tipos.
Although he only expressed an intention, he was met by strong criticism.
President Zuzana Caputova said: “Criticism of politicians is also part of the media's job. We politicians can naturally be uncomfortable with this. But the importance of the media goes beyond this discomfort and is indispensable for democracy. The media is part of the lifeblood of democracy.”
“Our society has probably never been more divided than it is today. Therefore, I reject and cannot support the division of parts of society into more or less noble, friendly or hostile. All regulated entities that operate under Slovak law and within the confines of the law are legitimate entities. I see this as the only path to the respectful coexistence we all need so badly. “
Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based international organization, is concerned about growing pressure on political reporters in Slovakia and has joined the domestic Slovak platform for press freedom.
The question is whether a prime minister can legally limit a journalist’s access to government buildings, and therefore press conferences.
Vincent Bujnak, assistant professor of constitutional law at Comenius University, says the government can not discriminate among media. The 2000 Freedom of Information Act does not cover this. But a 2022 Publications Act does. According to Bujnak, it says: “Public authorities must provide information to the publishers of periodical publications, the operators of news web agencies, on an equal basis, in order to inform the public in a truthful timely and comprehensive manner.”
It might still be possible to circumvent this rule, by blocking a publisher’s entry to the building but giving him access to a live broadcast of a press conference. But in that scenario, reporters for that publisher could not ask questions of public officials.
Whether it is legally possible or not, the signal from the new government is clear.