Reznik: No Political Power Influences RTVS Broadcasting
Bratislava, May 3 (TASR) – No political power has been interfering with the work of the Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) public broadcaster, and it never will, stated RTVS general director Jaroslav Reznik at a session of the parliamentary culture and media committee on Thursday.
“At the same time I stress that while I’m in this post no other power will interfere with the broadcasting of RTVS either,” added Reznik, who was asked by Parliamentary chair and committee member Bela Bugar (Most-Hid) to explain the situation in the public broadcaster.
Reznik was partly commenting on a statement made by a group of journalists who described the recent decision of the RTVS leadership to dismiss several editors as silencing critics. “The thing that has triggered this avalanche is that the RTVS management decided not to extend its cooperation to four editors,” said Reznik, adding that his predecessors in the post terminated cooperation with hundreds of employees, including editors.
“Despite everything published in the media I declare that RTVS news service is working freely,” said Reznik.
According to former culture minister Marek Madaric (Smer-SD), the situation in RTVS is not good. “If 60 editors write a letter to the public, this isn’t a sign of a good situation,” he said, adding that the current critical situation in RTVS has been to a great extent caused by politicians. “By those who before the vote on the new general director accused RTVS of working against the government, by those who set the political nomination over professional skills,” said Madaric. Committee chairman Dusan Jarjabek (Smer-SD) commented on Madaric’s statement by saying that it was not only coalition MPs who voted in favour of Reznik in Parliament, as he received 95 votes, which is a constitutional majority.
According to Bugar, the RTVS management should have communicated the changes in the public broadcaster better. At the same time he expressed his disgust about how the entire situation in RTVS is being reported by the media.
