As a teacher of the English language here in Slovakia, I use whatever materials I can to teach my students. The Slovak Spectator is very useful. However, my students and I have noticed that The Spectator is heavily slanted toward business coverage. We don't understand why this is so. We understand money is important, but to be the lap dog of business is never a good idea.
I also think that the newspaper is biased in its news coverage; by this, I mean the news is predominantly about Bratislava. I do not live in Bratislava, and it's not the only town in Slovakia. One could simply believe it was after reading The Slovak Spectator. Why, for instance, do you always carry the cinema times for Bratislava? Why not Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Trenčín, etc? You see my point.
Also, on the front page, why can't you carry stories from around regions, instead of tucking them away on page 2, as you do? Furthermore, why can't there be an arts section? It could incorporate all aspects of art - sculpting, painting, writing, etc. There are many fine artists here in Slovakia; after all, this is the home of Andy Warhol and Paul Newman's mum.
My final point is this: There are some people who cannot receive English-language newspapers, because they are stuck in some small town. One of the most important things for us native English-speakers is to receive news about Britain and the rest of the world. It makes us feel connected, though to what I don't know.
Please understand that I'm not attacking your quality of writing, which I believe is very good, or the overall quality of the newspaper, which too, is very good. There are, I feel, just a few minor things that need changing - or is the customer wrong?!
Bryan Rylands, Prešov
