“Who gave you the right to hijack the front page of the Radio-Television Slovenia’s web portal, which we all pay for? Have you all really lost your minds, or what?!” commentator Mitja Iršič responded to the arbitrariness of a handful of Radio-Television Slovenia employees. Media outlets are businesses, and in businesses, employees are expected to follow the instructions and suggestions of the management. RTV Slovenia is a first-class exception, where a rampaging clique of individuals is taking the remaining 2000 employees hostage and fighting under the guise of a “strike” for a biased and political media outlet, as well as for their own gains.
“Whoops, the content of the announcement for the interview with Peter Jančič has just been sabotaged by the presenter of the show TV Dnevnik. Some people treat RTV as a private company. That is also why I am not going on strike tomorrow. Watching the interview is obviously necessary… Because of the mirror…” the journalist of the public media outlet, Jože Možina, wrote on Sunday. “If this is true, then this is an incredible example of privatisation of a public programme. Apparently, someone decided that Jože Možina is not part of the elite that is announcing the takeover of RTV and that the viewers are not even worthy of being alerted of the content,” Igor Pirkovič, editor-in-chief of the MMC web portal, responded to Možina’s post. We are still trying to find out who among the daily editors dared to misuse the public media for such vile purposes.
The bold text and the first paragraph of this article refer to two different events that both happened at RTV, which also both show the arbitrariness of the employees and their disregard for the instructions and suggestions of the management of the institution. The infamous words about there being “f***ing more of us than there are them” were already said before the elections by the propagandist/promoter of the values of the extreme (L)left, Marcel Štefančič jr. However, investigative journalist Bojan Požar disagrees with Štefančič’s assessment. These “f***ing more of us” are, in reality, only about 15 or 20 people. They are a clique of extremely vocal and arbitrary ones who are living proof that RTV Slovenia has not been seriously reformed since the break-up of Yugoslavia. As Peter Jančič said in a recent interview, “The great depoliticisation of RTV has already happened – many journalists who used to report in favour of the left-wing parties have ‘deservedly’ moved into government and parliamentary rooms.” And journalist Možina added: “This institution is a staff basis of the left-wing political parties.” And the people that are protesting are a bunch of loud, shouting people who defy all the instructions of their superiors (Director Uroš Urbanija and others) and are playing the game of self-management, illegally occupying the studios and forcing all 2200 employees to strike!
The more “flexible” ones succumb to their terror, while the rest are victims of bullying, neglect, abuse, and so on. It is time for the neglected, the marginalised at RTV Slovenia to finally raise your voices!! Will you be the devout servants forever?! Behind the scenes, a fight to preserve positions and privileges is happening. This is a first-class caste of the arrogant, the untouchables, who can afford whatever their hearts desire. How true are the words of RTV Slovenia’s Ljerka Bizilj – that RTV Slovenia has as many as 2000 editors! One of them is the journalist Helena Milinković who, a few months ago, at a public tribune, unashamedly declared that their goal is to take over RTV Slovenia again. No, RTV Slovenia is not your property, Ms Milinković, and it is not the property of various leeches, but of all of us, the taxpayers!! Public RTV Slovenia is not your private property, full stop!!
Enough of being “terrorised” by a few first-class people!! Add your signature for the referendum at the Administrative Unit!
And if there is anyone left who does not believe that the strike is a first-class failure, and that the management’s influence on journalists is negligible (although this is quite regular in normal media outlets), they should read some of the recent “balanced, impartial” articles about the right-wing in Italy. All of this is nothing more than propaganda about the looming post-fascism! The aim behind the “strike” is to impose on the public the belief that the situation in the institution is unsustainable and to pave the way for the government of Robert Golob to completely take over RTV Slovenia with the help of select, pro-government non-governmental organisations, the quasi-civil society and parapolitics!!!
This is a hypocritical move which must be prevented by adding your signature for the referendum at the Administrative Units and voting in the said referendum. Finally, let us remember all the fascist threats that the journalist Pirkovič, Možina, Urbanija and Jadranka Rebernik, among others, have received in the past. With this, very few of their colleagues have ever spoken up about it. Of course, the story is completely different when it comes to Golob’s journalist Mojca Pašek Šetinc and the untouchable Eugenija Carl. “To be clear: what is happening tomorrow at RTV Slovenia is not a strike, but a political rally. In case anyone was wondering whether or not they should attend this political engagement of some of our colleagues.”
Pirkovič: What is happening at RTV is that a certain journalist does not respect editorial instructions and judgement
“And unfortunately, that is disastrous for the credibility of RTV. Thank you to all of you who will come to work tomorrow, in the service of the public, despite the pressures,” said Uroš Urbanija, director of the public TV Slovenia, in response to the announcement of the recent strike. Pirkovič agrees with us that in the case of the public service, we see “Self-management of collectives. What is happening at RTV is that a certain journalist does not respect editorial instructions and judgement.”
Domen Mezeg
