The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) have joined forces to produce the Media Capture Monitoring Report, aimed at assessing the state of media capture by political interests and the extent to which regulation to protect media independence meets new standards set by the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).
Slovakia’s media landscape is under intense pressure from a government determined to assert direct control over the public media and pressure the private media to curb its political output. The government has threatened to withdraw advertising from critical media, and the regulator’s independence will come under pressure to favour government media allies and undermine media pluralism.
The European Commission has already used EMFA to challenge the government’s original plans for a new public media. This saw some minor amendments to the law, but failed to stop the reform’s main purpose which was to force out the public media leadership and replace it with party allies.
This was the first skirmish in a broader battle that will test the ability of EMFA to restrain a government intent on subverting media to its own will.
Slovakia’s media regulator is currently relatively independent, with members nominated by various political parties. However, the government is set to fill six out of nine Council seats in 2025, creating a potential risk of political capture. There is also no legislation for the fair allocation of state advertising, leaving the government with a free hand to direct it to its allies.
The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), in effect since May 2024, requires Member States to reform national media laws to combat media capture. EMFA aims to protect media independence by establishing safeguards for media regulators and public service media, ensuring ownership transparency, maintaining media pluralism, and preventing the misuse of state resources to influence media.
This Slovakia report is the latest report to be published in a series of seven country reports to be released in 2024. It is part of a broader series covering seven EU countries, including Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. These reports serve as vital resources for media rights organizations, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
- Oliver Money-Kyrle, Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes – IPI, [email protected]
- Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC, [email protected]
The project is a part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response, a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
