On the 15th of October, 2025, the Nova24TV news portal celebrated its tenth anniversary, an important milestone accompanied by pride for the path it has travelled and a vision for the future. From humble beginnings, when many predicted failure, ridiculed it, or even displayed outright hostility, the news portal has developed into an influential media outlet that has become an indispensable part of the Slovenian public sphere.
“Although we were more aggressive in the beginning in order to break into the media market, we have now reached a level where we focus on credibility and quality. We no longer need to be populist – we focus on ensuring that our content is based on verified facts and is reliable,” said director Boris Tomašič on the tenth anniversary of the Nova24TV news portal. In addition to him, the former and current editors shared their views on the news portal’s achievements and the state of the media landscape in Slovenia, which reveals a profound lack of plurality.
Marko Puš, editor-in-chief of the news portal, who has been with Nova24TV since its inception, emphasised its success despite initial doubts: “I look back on the path we have travelled with joy that we have succeeded and that I have been part of this story, even though they predicted we would not last long. Despite all the ups and downs, Nova24TV is a success story. It is a story about a small team of people with great enthusiasm and even greater potential for further development.” Puš sees the anniversary not only as a celebration of a media outlet, but “also a celebration of media freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, which we tirelessly advocate for.”
“Over the past ten years, the Nova24TV news portal has opened its doors to topics that were often closed or even banned on other portals. In doing so, it has contributed to a greater presence of diverse content in public discourse and refuted the claim that there are topics in Slovenia that cannot be present in the said discourse,” said Uroš Urbanija in his introduction. He also emphasised the broad relevance of the portal: “It has become an important source of information for politicians and members of parliament on the left, who often quote and refer to it, which shows that they follow it regularly. In this way, Nova24TV opens up a view of the world to those who are often trapped in their ideological frameworks and see the world through the prism of one-sided beliefs.” In his opinion, this is one of the great advantages of the news portal, proving that it can also influence those who may not agree with its orientation. Urbanija also sees lots of opportunities for the future: “One of the key ones is technical progress, which can further improve the user experience. In addition, the news portal could devote more attention to topics that are less related to politics but are nevertheless of interest to the general public.”
At first, they laughed at us, but today we are serious competition for them “At first, they mocked Nova24TV, saying that it would be insignificant and have no reach. Soon after, they began attacking it and labelling it as a partisan media outlet. The reason for this was the rapid rise of the news portal, which achieved great influence and popularity. When they saw that ridicule and attacks were not enough, they even involved law enforcement agencies to persecute the portal’s editors and journalists,” recalled Jože Biščak, who believes that the value of the news portal lies in offering readers a different view of the world and events than that imposed by the mainstream media.
“Between 85 and 90 percent of the media in Slovenia is controlled by leftists who impose their view of the world on us: from the green transition to illegal migration to the LGBT agenda. The left-wing media pretends to be moderate, while Nova24TV is accused of being an extreme right-wing news portal. Truthfulness and damage reduction are a type of double helix, not a way out offered by the mainstream media,” he emphasised.
Miro Petek, who was present at the launch of the news portal, emphasised its sincerity and persistence: “Unlike most other media outlets, which hide behind empty words about ‘objectivity’ and ‘independence,’ Nova24TV does not sell illusions.” Petek added that the attacks on the portal were systematic because it dared to exist outside the “orthodox” framework. Despite constant attempts at discrediting it and political and financial pressure, the portal has survived and become a thorn in the side of those who would like to monopolise the truth, he pointed out, adding that Nova24TV has proven over the past ten years that there is an audience that wants a different perspective: “The news portal has become a symbol of media persistence in an environment where media pluralism is more of a slogan than a reality.”
Jure Ferjan agrees with Petek, highlighting the freshness that the portal has brought: “It has also ensured that nothing remains hidden. A decade of challenges, ups and downs, but nevertheless, the project, which many doubted, has survived and thrived; what’s more, it has been fulfilling its mission for a decade now, dispelling the fog that is all too common in our media space.” He emphasised its continuity and noted that he has fond memories of this period: “I am glad that the current team of the news portal and television, just as we did in the early years of the media project, is continuing on the path that was in the hearts, minds, and actions of all those who made this story possible and contributed to it.”
The media landscape is far from “pluralistic”
All editors agree that the Slovenian media landscape is far from pluralistic – on the contrary, Urbanija pointed out the marked non-pluralism of the traditional media in particular: “Traditional media such as television and radio in Slovenia are characterised by marked non-pluralism. The asymmetry in the Slovenian media space is so obvious that it is difficult to compare it with other environments. Until we have pluralistic media with equal power – both on the left and on the right – the Slovenian media landscape will remain in a state of development.” Biščak emphasised the one-sidedness of the mainstream media, while Petek added that “formally, we have a lot of media outlets, well over 2,000 are registered in the media register, but in reality, we keep hearing the same story over and over again, only with slightly different emphases.” Puš highlighted the broader social context: “Without Nova24TV, there is no normal Slovenia today, especially in light of current politics, when we are facing a hijacked state.”
In such an environment, Nova24TV acts as a key counterpoint. “With the reach we have in Slovenia, it is no longer possible to hide important stories. We have revealed and drawn attention to numerous topics, which confirms that we are taken seriously. Even people who are not necessarily politically engaged appreciate that we offer them a different perspective. We give readers the opportunity to decide for themselves which view to follow,” Tomašič emphasised. Nova24TV, as Petek, Biščak, and Ferjan emphasised, despite attacks from the dominant media and politicians, offers a unique perspective that reveals hidden topics, follows professional fact-checking and neutral language, and breaks through the fog of one-sided reporting in the Slovenian media space, which confirms its influence, as even its critics regularly follow it.
A look into the future of Nova24TV is ambitious
The news portal aims to increase its reach among young people through social networks, expand its content to include non-political topics that are of interest to the wider public, and leverage the potential of its modest but hard-working team for further development, as Puš emphasised, while Tomašič highlighted the need to adapt to new media habits: “Media habits, especially among young people, are changing rapidly. Nova24TV was among the first to enable listening to the portal’s content. We are now at a turning point where we are adapting to new technologies and ways of using media. We are gradually introducing artificial intelligence, not to replace journalism, but to simplify routine tasks and strengthen our presence on new platforms.”
A decade of Nova24TV is a story of perseverance, resilience, and commitment to plurality. Despite initial ridicule, systematic attacks, and political pressure, the news portal has proven that there is an audience that wants a different view of the world. “Without Nova24TV, we will not get Slovenia back,” said the current editor-in-chief, emphasising the portal’s key role in the fight for freedom and truth in times of political challenges. Ferjan concluded with congratulations and a look ahead: “Sincere congratulations to the entire team. Good luck and courage in the new decade.” This is precisely where Nova24TV’s greatest strength lies – in its ability to break the monopoly of truth, open up space for debate, and prove that truth is worth fighting for. On its 10th anniversary, Nova24TV remains an important voice in the Slovenian media landscape, inspiring and promising further growth.
Tanja Brkić
