Reznik Rejects Questioning of Expertise and Moral Credit of Management

Bratislava, May 4 (TASR) – Public broadcaster RTVS is free and is fulfilling its public-service mission, members of the RTVS management headed by director general Jaroslav Reznik stressed at a press conference on Friday.

“There is no cleansing, no normalisation threats in RTVS. RTVS belongs to all viewers and listeners,” emphasised Reznik, who rejected information presented in the media and statements by a group of journalists accusing RTVS of silencing critics for opposing views, as well as censorship or “enforcing” persons disseminating misinformation.

“We assure you that despite the day-to-day attacks, RTVS will continue to freely fulfil its public-service mission. Our goal is to prepare a quality program structure for all viewers and listeners,” said Reznik.

News service head Vahram Chuguryan has assured that no one is impeding reporters in having their own opinions. “But they can’t foist their opinions and views onto the public-service reporting, which must be impartial, balanced, objective,” he stressed.

Slovak radio program service director Michal Dzurjanin, heads of the television and radio news sections Hana Lyons and Petra Stano Matasovska, and other members of the management said they regret that there are accusations appearing and spreading in the media without their initiators or signatories showing an effort to verify these allegations.

They also reiterated that it was groundless for such initiatives to emerge based on the fact that RTVS failed to extend cooperation to four external editors. They pointed out that no such initiatives occurred when the previous RTVS leadership ended cooperation in hundreds of cases.