On January 10, the Hospodárske noviny daily reported that the Press Act approved by the Cabinet on January 9, and now headed to parliament for approval, requires newspapers to grant equal space to any politician who wishes to react to an article written about them. The paper must provide the space within three days and feature the reaction as prominently as the original article. And it doesn’t matter whether the information printed in the article can be proven.
Arne Konig, the chairman of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), said he is concerned the act will give Slovak politicians greater control over the media. He called it “very unfortunate and un-European.” SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
