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KDH: Slovak National Party Has Political Control Over Slovak Television
Sunday 22 November 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, November 22 (TASR) - Public broadcaster Slovak Television (STV) is being politically controlled by the Slovak National Party (SNS), chairman of the parliamentary committee for culture and media Pavol Abrhan (KDH) told TASR on Sunday.
Abrhan referred to Sunday's edition of STV's politics show 'O 5 minút 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve), in which SNS chairman Jan Slota appeared alone.
"The discussion of current political issues with a sole guest, namely Jan Slota, has violated the principles of objectivity and plurality of opinions on which public-service broadcasting is founded," said Abrhan. He rejected information that STV planned to invite other party chairmen as untrue and misleading. According to Abrhan, KDH offered to have its vice-chairman Daniel Lipsic take part in the discussion, but STV didn't want this.
"We invited the party chairs, Coalition and Opposition alike," STV spokesman Peter Susko told TASR. He refused to comment on whether or not STV refused to invite Lipsic on to the show.
The fact that Slota took part in a discussion without any political opponents was also pointed out by SDKU-DS vice-chairman Ivan Miklos, who appeared on the second part of the show with Smer-SD MEP Boris Zala as his political opponent. "Allow me to convey my astonishment at the fact that SNS chairman Jan Slota spoke here all by himself," said Miklos, adding that no representatives of the Opposition have ever appeared on the show alone.
The host responded by reading out a paragraph from the STV Charter of News Coverage and Opinion Journalism, which states that "if an invited guest doesn't attend a discussion, the 'empty-seat' principle applies. The host speaks about the reasons behind the non-attendance of a guest, if these are known".
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