Journalists reject Matovič's attacks

Igor Matovič speaks of journalists as "progressive fascists". He says that even Hitler had journalists blindly helping him, and suggests that we are working for someone like that today. He accuses us of corruption and abuses the memory of our murdered colleague Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.

Vladimír Mečiar used to slap journalists and Robert Fico called them "dirty anti-Slovak prostitutes". Matovič had a chance to change the attitude of power towards the media. Yet he continues to escalate attacks against journalists.

When the media are critical of him, he compares them to fascist totalitarians and himself to the victims of the Holocaust. Hitler murdered millions of people because of their origins and convictions. Matovič is neither a victim nor a person whose life is threatened. He is just another politician who cannot cope with public service and who lies.

In Slovakia, attacks against journalists have ended in murder before. Matovič is making journalists targets again, just for doing their jobs.

We will not be silent. We weren't silent when we were attacked by Mečiar and Fico, and we will not be silent when Matovič is repeating their attacks.

Signed:

• Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief, SME

• Matúš Kostolný, editor-in-chief, Denník N

• Peter Bárdy, editor-in-chief, Aktuality.sk

• Henrich Krejča, head of news service, TV Markíza

• Eva Nocarová, editor-in-chief of the news service, TV JOJ

• Júlia Kováčová, editor-in-chief, Nový Čas

• Mária Hlucháňová, head of news service, RTVS

• Štefan Hríb, editor-in-chief, .týždeň

• Lukáš Diko, director, Investigative Centre of Ján Kuciak

• Jaroslav Vrábeľ, editor-in-chief, Korzár

• Csaba Nyerges, editor-in-chief, Új Szó

• Michaela Terenzani, editor-in-chief, The Slovak Spectator

• Attila Lovász, director of minorities' broadcasting, RTVS

• Martina Balleková, editor-in-chief, TA3

• Zuzana Janíková, editor-in-chief, Startitup

• Ľuboš Kamenistý, head of content, Pravda

• Ivana Mandáková, editor-in-chief, Plus1Deň

• Marcela Šimkovičová, editor-in-chief, Hospodárske noviny

• Cs. Liszka Györgyi, editor-in-chief, Vasárnap

• Zoltán Szalay, editor-in-chief, Napunk

• Lucia Yar, acting editor-in-chief, EURACTIV

• Matúš Baňovič, editor-in-chief, Refresher

• Dárius Haraksin, editor-in-chief, JOJ24

• Juraj Porubský, editor-in-chief, Forbes

• Peter Palovič, head of news service, Rádio Expres

• Braňo Závodský, deputy head of news service, Rádio Expres