"Even five years after the heinous murder, there is still a need to strengthen the protection of journalists,” said Deputy Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Andrej Stančík after meeting Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday. The session took place on the 5th anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. The participants discussed media freedom in Slovakia and proposals to increase protection for journalists, which are being discussed at the EU level.
Slovakia is part of a number of informal groupings supporting media freedom and journalists' safety, including the Media Freedom Coalition or the International Partnership on Information and Democracy, and as of 1 February 2023 it became a member of the Freedom of Expression and Maintaining Democratic Standards in the Online Space Freedom Online Coalition. “Slovakia is actively promoting measures to strengthen media freedom and pluralism and the safety of journalists at both Slovak and European level. Independent journalistic work is a fundamental pillar of democracy and one of the key factors in increasing the resilience of society against disinformation," said Stančík.
Source: TASR
