STA, 14 July 2020 - The Association of Journalists and Commentators (ZNP) has expressed support for the government-sponsored changes to the media legislation, including a planned distribution of the public broadcaster subscription among other media and the change of STA supervisory board appointment powers from the National Assembly to the government.
Related: Slovenian Press Agency Concerned About Changes to Media Law
The ZNP, the smaller of two national associations of journalists, said in a press release on Tuesday it did not matter whether the supervisors of the STA were appointed by the government or the National Assembly. It believes the changes should also limit the supervisors and the general manager to two terms.
Under the current legislation, the supervisory board is appointed by the National Assembly with an absolute majority. The supervisors, in turn, appoint a general manager in a call for applications.
The ZNP believes the changes should also include provisions under which the government or the National Assembly would not be able to dismiss supervisors before the end of their terms, barring extraordinary circumstances.
It also supports the proposal to distribute 3% of the RTV Slovenija subscription fee to the STA and 5% to other media. RTV Slovenija, on the other hand, would make up for the loss by scrapping its advertisement limitations, under the changes.
The association believes this would force RTV Slovenija to become more commercially-oriented. However, advertising should still remain limited to a certain extent so as to prevent the broadcaster becoming too commercial.
It says that the STA would get more funds under the proposed funding model and could "focus better on its basic mission, which is to inform the public about important topics".
The STA is currently forced to get a large share of the funds need commercially, which the ZNP says eroded its basic task. Moreover, more funds would also mean more money for salaries, which have remained virtually unchanged in the past decade.
The ZNP also support the idea that 5% of the RTV Slovenija subscription fee go to other media for performing public interest services, as it does not matter whether the funds come from the budget of the subscription fee, both being public funds.
The association did say, however, that tax relief measures would have been better than subsidies for the media.
The association has also welcomed the changes to the correction rules, under which media would only be obligated to run a correction if it meant a correction of a false statement and not if somebody simply wanted to add a comment, which is possible under the current legislation.
European Broadcasting Union calls for more discussion before changes
STA, 14 July 2020 - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public service media organisations, has addressed a letter to the Slovenian authorities expressing concern over the future of Slovenian public service media. It urged the government to enable proper time for discussion on the proposed media reform in line with EU standards.
The letter, addressed to the Slovenian government, parliament, Culture Ministry and relevant parliamentary committee, points out that public broadcaster RTV Slovenija "has been exposed to a series of hostile and frequently unsubstantiated comments over the last months".
The EBU is also concerned over "the exceptionally short time envisaged for public debate on potential changes to the legal and financial frameworks of Slovenia's national public media".
The alliance goes on to highlight that the broadcaster plays a vital role in society and continued to play it during the Covid-19 crisis.
RTV Slovenija remit "requires adequate, stable, and predictable funding to serve all segments of society and offer programmes for all groups and minorities with a high level of commitment and professionalism," says the EBU, highlighting that the proposed changes to the act governing the broadcaster would also result in a budget cut of EUR 13 million.
"This significant change requires appropriate debate with all relevant stakeholders, in line with common democratic practice in Europe."
The alliance notes that RTV Slovenija licence fee has been "unchanged since 2012, whereas content and quality demands have constantly increased in a fast-developing economic, social and technological environment".
The EBU urges the relevant authorities to provide proper time for discussing the proposed media reform as well as allow for appropriate debate on public media's role in society and the resources needed to fulfil their remit.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) joined the EBU's warnings and calls saying that they were most concerned over the proposed changes to the funding of public service media in Slovenia and the extremely short period of five days for public discussion.
EFJ director Renate Schroeder said in a joint statement of all the three organisations that RTV Slovenija's independence would be at great risk if the changes were implemented without any further amendments. The Covid-19 pandemic has once again highlighted the key role of public media, she added.
SEEMO secretary general Oliver Vujović pointed out that in these challenging times, a well-funded, independent and strong Slovenian public broadcaster was needed more than ever. "We need an open public discussion according to international standards, and all important stakeholders who may be affected by the change should have their say in the process."
Last Thursday, the ministry unveiled a media reform blueprint involving extensive changes to the media act, the act on RTV Slovenija and the act on the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The changes are subject to public debate until Wednesday.
The amendments as well as the short time provided for public consultation have triggered strong criticism, including from the Journalists' Association (DNS), trade unions representing the workers of RTV Slovenija, the STA management and staff, and the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA).
