STVR Condemns Attack on Reporter Outside Nove Zamky Court

Bratislava, 2 April (TASR) - Public-broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) has condemned an incident that occurred outside the District Court building in Nove Zamky (Nitra region) on Monday (30 March), when STVR reporter Ivan Brada was attacked after requesting a comment, said STVR general-director Martina Flasikova in a statement sent to TASR by STVR spokesperson Zuzana Vicelova on Thursday. Flasikova claimed that the incident was not an isolated display of aggression towards journalists and declared that STVR's management stands behind its reporters. "I value their work and am convinced that they carry it out with an emphasis on the fundamental principles of journalism — impartiality, objectivity, balance and professionalism," she stated. Flasikova also stressed that STVR is a public-service broadcaster. "STVR news reporting isn't produced to order but in line with the journalistic standards that our reporters apply in daily practice. Blanket questioning of the credibility of a public service medium without supporting arguments undermines trust in its role," she added. The police in Nove Zamky are treating the incident as a misdemeanour against civil coexistence. "The case is currently under investigation," said Jana Sinkova, the regional police spokesperson in Nitra. The Slovak section of the Association of European Journalists has also condemned the attack on Brada, who serves as its chairman. "This case is testimony to the forms and levels to which polarisation and hatred in Slovak society are escalating," said the association in a statement sent to TASR by its member Julius Lorincz. mf/df