“All of this circus, which is basically paving the way for a new Radio-Television Slovenia Act, is really going on in order to get rid of four or five “disruptive people” from the public media outlet. The communists have always wanted either 100 percent or nothing. Either you are all ours, or you are not ours at all. And here, things are changing according to the same logic. And this is exactly what Štefančič’s instigating vocabulary is all about,” journalist Vinko Vasle said regarding all of the fuss related to the Studio City show and its now-former host, Štefančič. And the editor-in-chief of the Siol web portal, Peter Jančič, said: ” There are only two options: either the management gives up the managing of the public institution and leaves it to the left-wing magazine Mladina and the likely future Prime Minister, Mr Golob, directly, or it does what it recently did.”
It seems that the transitional media-political apparatus has decided to turn the RTV Slovenia journalist Marcel Štefančič into the “sacrificial lamb,” even though he is more like “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” This will make it easier for them to justify the introduction of a new Radio-Television Slovenia Act. Štefančič’s “crucifixion” will give them the moral right to such actions.
The whole thing started at the public tribune about the situation on the national media outlet, RTV, when Štefančič roared with revolutionary enthusiasm that “There are fucking more of us than there are of them. There are only a few of them. And we know exactly who they are.” To anyone who has heard these words and knows the context in which they were said, it is clear that this is an arrogant threat designed to intimidate anyone who does not think in the same way as “them.” The purpose of the threat is to paralyse such people with fear. This is typical revolutionary logic, which achieves complete subordination and “elimination” of all disturbing factors with threats and violence.
And this is something that they dare to do in a public institution, which is being financed with taxpayers’ money. What is even more absurd is their belief that a journalist has a lifelong right to host some show – in the style of Tito’s lifelong right to power. This is a totalitarian pattern of thinking, a pure-blooded mental continuity of the surviving socio-political system. And now, members of the “civil society” are causing an uproar: “Studio City, as it once was, will no longer exist. The fight for integrity and independence of RTV Slovenia continues. Today, we are all Studio City; today, I am also Marcel.” And the only purpose of all of this chaos is to return RTV to its previous condition from two years ago, also with the help of a new law, which was already promised by the electricity oligarch Robert Golob. The whole thing is just paving the way for the future government’s actions in the field of media legislation.
There is no actual wish for pluralisation in the background of all of this, but only the pursuit of complete power and control, which is hypocritically being attributed to someone else. The transitional clique that has power over the majority of the media can obviously afford to do something like that. We asked two excellent media experts to share their opinion on what is going on with us – namely, we talked to journalist Vinko Vasle and editor-in-chief of the Siol web portal, Peter Jančič. Vasle was direct – as always: “This whole circus about Studio City is so crazy that I really have no comment. It seems incredible that they did not let the editor go, who said that ‘if Marcel falls, Studio City falls; and if Studio City falls, RTV falls.’ I really don’t know what could be crazier than that?! I really have no comment. All I can do is just observe what is going on, puzzled. I do not even understand how something like this is possible.” Well, the matters are clear: Štefančič’s contract has expired, and it has not been renewed.
Studio City is the “private garden” of the Left party
As a director on the Radio, Vasle saw a number of similar cases (of contracts not being renewed), and there were several reasons for that to happen – for example, poor quality of work or lack of money, and so on. But as long as most of the public media outlet agrees with what is happening, a situation like that is considered completely normal. However, when Štefančič’s contract was terminated (which does not necessarily mean that the reason for a dismissal should be stated, but in his case, it should be noted that the dismissal was made on the principle of fault – due to his hate speech and incitement, and together with him, the editor Kotnik should also be dismissed, for continuously supporting this). “And so what if 40 thousand signatures have been collected to keep the show going? This is not an important factor. It’s as if someone committed a crime and then found a group of people, for example, members of non-governmental organisations, who started to collect 40 thousand signatures because ‘this is their man, and he should not be imprisoned or convicted.’ This is complete madness.”
“However, it was enough for me to see whose support is in the background of all of this and who gathered in front of RTV recently: Marko Milosavljević, Sandra Bašić Hrvatin and Barbara Rajgelj from the Faculty of Social Sciences, an LGBT activist.” It is also clear that Studio City was a branch of the inciting left-wing magazine Mladina, so it would be only right for such a show to be cancelled. The Left party (Levica) had “its own private garden” because of this show. However, it is completely impossible to talk rationally about such things with irrational people. However, the whole circus, which is happening with the intention of paving the way for a new Radio-Television Slovenia Act, is really happening in order to get rid of four or five “disruptive people” from the public media outlet. The communists have always wanted either 100 percent or nothing. Either you are all ours, or you are not ours at all. And here, things are changing according to the same logic. And this is exactly what Štefančič’s instigating vocabulary is all about. This was one of the most instigating, hostile speeches we have heard in recent years – and some believe that nothing should happen to the man who says such things?!”
Either the RTV management does something, or it gives up control of the public institution completely and leaves it to the left-wing magazine Mladina and the likely future Prime Minister, Mr Golob
The editor-in-chief of the Siol web portal, Peter Jančič, also commented on the situation in question, saying: “It is completely indisputable and clear that this is external pressuring of the RTV editorial board. Štefančič is a show host who is also a member of the supervisory board of the magazine Mladina, a distinctly left-wing magazine, and is also its journalist. During the election campaign, he publicly called for disrespect of the leadership of the institute and their decisions, which benefitted one candidate in particular – Robert Golob.” According to Jančič, this was unacceptable behaviour, and the normal reaction of absolutely any public media that tries to be honest and impartial is to take action against such a tv show host and stop working with him.
And thus, according to Jančič, there are only two real options available: either the management gives up the managing of the public institution and leaves it to the left-wing magazine Mladina and the likely future Prime Minister, Mr Golob, directly, or it does what it recently did. The protests that we have been witnessing show an attempt to influence the editorial board to act in favour of the winner of the election – Golob, with the participation of non-governmental organisations that we know work for him. This is a typical example of pressuring the public RTV to get it to act in a politically biased way – unfairly. This is a completely non-liberal behaviour, which the public should be aware of, as it is in direct contrast with the fundamental principles of the liberal Western society and democracy. This is a return to a socialist past.
Domen Mezeg
