Freedom of the press in Slovakia: “Fico learns from Orban”

The left-wing populist Fico has been in power again in Slovakia for almost a month. He now acts more moderately in foreign policy. Critics see the great danger within – for example for freedom of the press.

Normally it wouldn’t be worth a headline that journalists were allowed to enter the government headquarters in Bratislava. After all, Slovakia is a democratic country and an EU member.

But in October Robert Fico moved into this government headquarters for the fourth time and with him a new approach to critical media. Prime Minister Fico now describes some of them as hostile media.

“Unwanted Guests”

The most-watched TV channel Markiza, the newspapers “Dennik N” and “Sme” as well as the Internet portal Aktuality would openly profess hatred and hostility against the head of government’s left-wing national Smer party, Fico said in a Facebook video. He therefore decided to check their work permits at the government headquarters. Until then, they are “unwanted guests” there.

These media professionals are now granted access for the time being. They immediately threatened to sue. But concerns are growing that Fico could restrict free reporting in his fourth term. And that the Slovak Prime Minister could learn from his counterpart Viktor Orban in neighboring Hungary, especially in this regard, and shake the foundations of the young democracy in Slovakia.

Motivated by “impunity and revenge”

The 59-year-old wants to reform the public prosecutor’s office; he immediately dismissed the police chief and replaced him with a confidant. “The only thing that motivates this government is revenge,” says liberal opposition leader Michal Simecka, “impunity and revenge.”

Revenge for the deep fall of Fico and his colleagues after 2018. After the murder of the young investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, the then head of government was swept from office by mass protests. He had become the face of a country marked by corruption – corruption that Kuciak had researched. Fico himself was never charged, but he and many of his confidants are being investigated, often unsuccessfully so far.

Political scientists like Josef Lenc believe impunity for those around him is one of the strongest motives for Fico’s bitter fight for a comeback.

Fico scored particularly well in the election campaign with his Russia-friendly rhetoric. Together with the social democratic Hlas party and the smaller right-wing nationalist SNS, his coalition has a narrow majority of MPs behind it, including pro-Russian disinformation spreaders and conspiracy tellers.

Journalists should report in a “balanced” manner again

The left-wing nationalist also blamed critical journalists for his deep fall. They would not report truthfully and objectively. “We cannot respect that Slovakia is controlled by the media or NGOs,” said Fico about the government statement in parliament.

All four media outlets he described as “hostile” are privately owned. The murdered journalist Kuciak worked for Aktuality. Many newspapers in Slovakia are more progressive-liberal in orientation. Fico has long been demanding that journalists finally report in a “balanced way” again and allow more conservative and national voices to have their say.

But the re-elected long-term prime minister also wants to intervene in the work of public broadcasting and split up radio and television. His government has direct leverage when it comes to the budget, as Slovaks have no longer paid broadcasting fees since July. Public broadcasting is financed directly from the state budget.

Media professionals has been an enemy for a long time

For Fico, a friend of Russia and Orban, media professionals have long been enemies, whom he either insulted as corrupt or as “anti-Slovak whores” and with whom he often does not talk.

But now, as head of government, he distinguishes between “friendly” and “enemy” media and deliberately hinders unpleasant reporting about his government, complains Matus Kostolny, the editor-in-chief of “Dennik N”. This weakens democracy and is not only unacceptable but also dangerous, especially in a country where a journalist was murdered by contract killers because of his work.

In any case, Kostolny and his colleagues do not want to be forbidden to speak up and report critically as usual. But they can hardly hope for an interview with the comeback prime minister. Fico has now announced a boycott of “hostile” media.