Freedom of the press

The International Press Institute said on Tuesday that it has joined four other media watchdog organisations in writing to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to express concerns over a decline in press freedom in Slovenia since the government of Janez Jansa came to power.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a list of 10 recommendations  to address what they called "the dire press freedom situation in Bulgaria" weeks ahead of elections due early next month.

Brussels – Addressing the EU Parliament plenary on Wednesday, EU Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova pointed to continuous attempts to undermine the sustainable funding and the independence of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). She also noted that frequent verbal attacks against journalists in the country were cause for concern.

Brussels – A European Parliament policy department service compiled an in-depth document on the situation in Slovenia in preparation for Friday’s session of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group. The document, which is for internal use only, also details Prime Minister Janez Janša’s attacks on media.

Ljubljana – A group of 19 NGOs and associations advocating media and human rights urged the EU on Tuesday to “take decisive action to protect independent journalism” in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. The call comes a day before a debate on threats to media freedom in the three countries to be held at the European Parliament.

State regulation of the media should be limited, with self-regulation strengthened and prioritized, journalists and media experts from the region told the third and final online public debate on online media regulation held by BIRN on Wednesday.

The one-day break in broadcasting, black front pages of newspapers and black home pages of news portals were meant to warn everyone of how the media would look once the nationalist-populist government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party completes its mission to kill off the independent media.

The Slovenian Journalists' Association, DNS, has complained of "new forms of lowering journalistic freedom" in the country following reports that the Government Communications Office, UKOM, has withheld permission for officials to appear on news shows.

At least 274 journalists were imprisoned during 2020, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Tuesday, the most since the New York-based group began collecting data in the early 1990s.

A journalist taking a picture of Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic in Podgorica. Photo:EPA-EFE/BORIS PEJOVIC

Media Freedom Rapid Response, MFRR, the Southeast Europe Media Organization, SEEMO, and their partners published a report on Wednesday, demnanding protection of media freedom in Montenegro.