Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series about press freedom and safety in various countries around the world.
On May 31, 12 reporters from Slovakia’s public television and radio broadcaster, RTVS, resigned to protest what they called the politicization of news coverage under recently appointed management. The mass resignation followed the March murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, which triggered protests that ultimately brought down the government of then-Prime Minister Robert Fico. In an email interview, Andrej Školkay, director of the School of Communication and Media in Bratislava, discusses the charges of politicization of Slovakia’s public media, and the state of media freedom and press safety in Slovakia.
World Politics Review: What was the direct reason for the resignation of 12 reporters from RTVS, and how big a problem is the politicization of public media in Slovakia?