RTVS reporter disciplined for criticising state broadcaster

Editor and presenter Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová was given a disciplinary warning from Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) management for a letter she sent to her colleagues, criticising management; believing that news stories are being 'normalised'. According to four of her former colleagues which were fired for criticising the state-run broadcaster, Hanzelová was told she was no longer allowed to cover political topics. However, Hanzelová announced on Wednesday that she was reinstated in her original role, covering her previous topics once again. Director of RTVS, Jaroslav Rezník, commented that she will be given more time to verify the facts, reported SITA on Wednesday. The Faculty of Arts at Comenius University in Bratislava raised concerns about events unfolding in the public service Radio and Television of Slovakia, writing in a statement, "We have been educating future journalists at our faculty for over sixty years, so the fate of public service journalism is not indifferent to us. As in the past, we still regard freedom of speech and freedom of the press as key and indispensable components not only to academic work but also to life in a democratic society".