Freedom of the Press - Slovenia (2002)

Status: Free
Legal Environment: 2
Political Influences: 5
Economic Pressures: 13
Total Score: 20

Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 76
Religious Groups: n/a
Ethnic Groups: Slovene (88 percent), Croat (3 percent), Serb (2 percent), Bosniak (1 percent), other (6 percent)
Capital: Ljubljana

Constitutional guarantees of press freedom are respected by the government. Most print media are privately owned and are supported by commercial advertising. The major electronic medium Slovenia Radio-Television (RTV) is state-owned. It has three radio stations and two TV networks. At the national level, there are four commercial television stations: Gajba TV, Kanal A, POP TV, and TV3. There are also about 42 private stations at the local level. Slovenia also has approximately 68 private radio stations. A new media law regulates the protection of freedom of expression, prohibits the incitement of inequality and intolerance, requires domestic productions to account for at least 20 percent of TV broadcasts, and compels media outlets to seek the opinion of their editorial staffs on the selection of an editor in chief.