Slovenia is the target this time, as the EU Commission condemns Slovenian Premier’s criticism of a left-wing reporter.
Why? A free media requires dissenting opinions, open debate and hard-hitting from both sides…or it’s not really free.
PM Janša must have struck a nerve at the headquarters of the ‘ministry of truth’.
Both the EU media (these reporters are biased and everyone knows it) and the censors in Brussels are shamelessly trying to intimidate others from challenging its narrative.
But it’s ok to challenge reporters, who increasingly put their own ideological spin on issues or who may not be fully presenting both sides of the story.
They want to decide the truth or what can be debated based on their personal visions. Any dissenting opinion at odds with the groupthink of Brussels is to be silenced.
Are reporters in the media exempt from criticism and checks and balances? The media must be held accountable too; lazy, misleading and biased reporting discredits the entire profession of journalism.
PM Janša did not threaten this Politico reporter at all; like many in and out of government, he questioned her professionalism and integrity, which he has every right to do based on her minor-league reporting. If reporters attack, they should expect pushback.
Janša tweeted: “Well, @liliebayer was instructed not to tell the truth, so she quoted mainly ‘unknown’ sources from the extreme left and purposely neglected sources with names and integrity”.
This is his opinion and we don’t see any threats here, not even close.
However, EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans responded with a tweet of his own: “Vilifying, threatening or attacking journalists is a direct attack on free media. That is why journalists like @liliebayer deserve our support.”
Not quite. A free media requires dissenting opinions, open debate and hard-hitting from both sides…or it’s not really free.
No reporter should be threatened, but neither should they be above scrutiny. People do not need the EU Commission deciding what constitutes free speech; indeed, as one has seen in the past, this is a very slippery slope.
Despite the drama of Frans, there were no threats targeting Bayer; this is preposterous to believe otherwise. Instead, Janša challenged her work, just as she challenged his.
The political ideology of Politico and its reporter Lili Bayer is no secret. Why do they deny this? It’s obvious. They are part of the EU establishment (as witnessed by the EU Commission’s quick defense of its troops), just as the Daily Sabah is part of Erdogan’s network in Turkey.
The V4 Report is well aware that these media networks have their own small circles and often recirculate articles with each other, sometimes even presenting allies as ‘experts’.
The woke EU Commission does not cherish free and open debate; instead they desire all to submit to their opinion.
Janša and others have every right to defend themselves and challenge the media’s narrative.
This is a free society…or does free speech only apply to the politically correct class in Brussels?
