In a while then starting his fourth time period as high minister endmost fall, Fico and his executive ceased speaking with 4 revered detached media shops that he deemed “hostile,” together with TV Markíza — the community’s most-watched station, with a 27 % marketplace percentage — in addition to the dailies Denník N and SME and the inside track website online Aktuality.
Fico’s go back to energy has been accompanied by way of “an open assault on independent media,” in line with Matúš Kostolný, editor-in-chief of Denník N.
“Since the first day after the election he has attacked journalists, calling us rats … Fico has always attacked journalists, but now he is taking an even harder line, calling us his enemies and committing the entire government to doing the same,” Kostolný mentioned.
In 2018, investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová have been murdered, sparking the most important protests within the nation because the 1989 fall of the Communist regime and to Fico’s depart as PM, mid-way via his 3rd time period.
Consistent with Kostolný, the tragedy has steeled Slovakia’s reporters to struggle climate oppression the entire tougher.
“Slovakia still has plenty of independent media and courageous journalists, but Fico is trying very hard to silence them and intimidate them,” Kostolný mentioned. “Having had the experience we did in the 1990s under [then Prime Minister Vladimír] Mečiar, I believe we’re better prepared now than our colleagues in Hungary, for example.”
