Slovenia Government and Media
Government
Government Type: Parliamentary Democratic Republic
Leader: Prime Minister Janez Janša ( March 3, 2020)
Political Party: Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS)
Political Position: Center-Right
Media
World Press Freedom Rank: Slovenia 32/180 (2020)
According to Reporters Without Borders “Defamation is still criminalized and well-known politicians continue to subject media outlets to intimidatory lawsuits and often slanderous verbal attacks.” The Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists condemned Jansa’s attack to public Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVS) over their coverage.
Government Influence on Media: The Government does not subsidize most of the media in Slovenia with the exception of national public broadcasting organizations such as Radio Slovenia and TV Slovenia. In general, the Government has minimal direct control over the media outlets since most of them are privately owned and financed. However, defamation is a criminal offense that causes intimidation and self-censorship among journalists. In general, media is indirectly controlled by the Government. For example, Prime Minister Janez Jansa has labeled media outlets who criticize him as “presstitution.” There is concern that his rhetoric may intimidate journalists to support him in order to prevent backlash from his public supporters. As of now, the press remains mostly free in Slovenia.
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