Despite its small size, the media market is diverse in Slovenia. The broadcast sector includes the influential public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and privately owned stations, such as POP TV. Online newspapers include traditional titles such as Delo and Vecer, as well as newer sites like Necenzurirano.si. In recent years, non-profit media have developed, such as Ostro and Pod crto. Few media outlets are directly controlled by a political party.

Even if Prime Minister Robert Golob’s government is not openly hostile to the media and journalists, they are still subjected to political pressure, especially by means of the smear campaigns carried out by certain opposition politicians on social media. Janez Janša, the prime minister from 2020 to 2022, often insulted journalists he regarded as overly critical, but since his departure, government attempts to undermine the independence of the public media have ceased. 

Press freedom is protected by a solid legal framework. The independence of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija has been strengthened by the reform of its governing bodies enacted by Robert Golob’s government. But defamation has not been decriminalised yet, allowing politicians to initiate SLAPP proceedings against the media. Some media outlets have also been subjected to legal pressure to disclose their sources. During the Covid-19 pandemic, journalists critical of the government deplored discriminatory access to state-held information.

Private-sector advertising and content monetisation provide a major share of the media’s revenue, while state-sector advertising is allocated opaquely. Public broadcaster RTV Slovenija is under severe financial pressure due to bad business decisions by previous managers and a failure to increase the domestic TV licence fee. Print media are threatened with extinction due to the high cost of printing and newsprint. The lack of transparency in media ownership – the legacy of weakly regulated privatisation – threatens the independence of some media outlets.

Journalists who have investigated corruption or the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic have faced online harassment by the former prime minister’s supporters. Women journalists have been threatened in an especially violent manner. Trust in the public media, such as RTV Slovenija, has increased following implementation of the new legislation and the resulting appointment of new management.  

In a climate of political polarisation accentuated by the aggressive rhetoric of some politicians, journalists have been repeatedly insulted and verbally attacked, though physical attacks are still rare.