20-07-2009

Media inspector fines Slovenian public TV

By Matevz Rudolf
    A standoff with Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenia over a report about a government minister has resulted in a fine being levied on the TV station.

    After a TV Slovenia (www.rtvslo.si) report about the minister's partial owner ship of a company which received unsecured loans, the company demanded a published correction. RTV complained about this demand and did not publish a correction, leading to a fine from the Slovenian Media Inspector.

    The company in question claims that RTV incorrectly reported information about the unsecured loans, but neither company nor the bank has presented any official documentation.

    According to RTV Managing Editor (News and current affairs) Rajko Gerič, "The Media Inspector from Ministry of Culture is trying to prevent any news about this situation."