NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS...ONE JOURNALIST'S STORY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000035 SIPDIS FOR EUR/CE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KDEM OIIP LO SUBJECT: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS...ONE JOURNALIST'S STORY REF: A. 09 BRATISLAVA 176 ¶B. 09 BRATISLAVA 320 ¶C. 09 BRATISLAVA 460 BRATISLAVA 00000035 001.3 OF 002 SUMMARY (U) The story of Martina Kubaniova is but one of many in Slovakia. It is illustrative of the attitude of much of the governing Slovak political elite towards the media and exposes the truth about the lack of editorial integrity at Slovak National Television (STV). Martina Kubaniova is no longer working as a journalist because one of her stories had negative political repercussions for friends of STV's director, Stefan Niznansky. Sadly, she does not feel that there is any organization be it legal, activist, or union that can help her with her plight...and we agree. THE JOURNALIST ¶2. (U) Kubaniova's story starts as a feel-good post-communist small-town success that warms the Western democratic heart. She grew up in Kysuce, a small town near the Czech/Slovak/Polish tri-border, and after a stint in nursing climbed the media rungs from regional television to cable television to national television. The pinnacle was a one year contract with the premier investigative program at STV, "Reporteri." "I just wanted to expose the facts," she told EmbOff. THE STORY ¶3. (U) Last October at a dinner party, Kubaniova heard rumors of shady practices related to a contract that the Ministry of Labor gave to the Arvik company in the town of Bardejov. The labor ministry has a "social enterprise" program through which local governments use ministry funds to contract public works or undertake employment training programs. In practice, contacts tell us these companies have long been yet another mechanism through which political cronies feed at the public trough. The contracting companies typically have a close association with local or national politicians, and their selection process is typically opaque, a charge that the EC has investigated and, in a preliminary report, confirmed. Contract performance has often been characterized by phantom employees and trainees, services never delivered, excessive charges for subcontracts, and so on. Kubaniova received the go-ahead from her editor, Otto Nitman, to pursue the story and away she went. THE CENSOR ¶4. (U) Nitman, by all accounts an amiable fellow, is over his head in his current position as senior editor at STV. Coming from a publishing background, he can dot his i's and cross his t's but has no practical television experience, journalists report. What he does have is a close personal relationship with STV Director Niznansky and a reputation for obedience. Kubaniova pursued the story and had it through the cutting room and into "control projection" two days before broadcast when the "Reporterii" producer, Katarina Zackova, went through final edits with the production manager and journalist. Nitman had never previously attended one of these sessions but had phoned Zackova earlier that day to say he wanted to see this episode because "someone had called, and gotten the boss's (Niznansky) attention." Not only did Nitman show up, but Niznansky and his chief of staff (SNS party member Lukas Machala) not long after were in the control room as well. ¶5. (U) Niznansky bombarded Kubaniova with questions such as "where did you get this tip?" and "who have you discussed this story with?" Kubaniova and Niznansky had an unpleasant exchange in which she would not reveal her sources and Niznansky stormed out of the room. Kubaniova later received a phone call from Nitman telling her the story would not be broadcast because Director Niznansky did "not find it comprehensible." Shortly thereafter Kubaniova received a disciplinary notice for insubordination (under the Slovak labor code, two notices and an employer can dismiss you). She in turn sent a complaint to the STV council, the governing body of appointed officials with oversight over the public broadcaster. At a hearing of the council Director Niznansky did not bother to appear but instead sent only a letter of explanation which claimed the story could not be aired because the authors had submitted it too late for inclusion. The council evaluated Niznansky's grounds for halting the broadcast as inadequate and ordered STV to broadcast the story in full, which they did, two weeks ago. Kubaniova never received a response to her separate appeal of the disciplinary notice. THE END ¶6. (U) Kubaniova's contract expired in mid-January and was not renewed. She said she was surprised because Nitman had just asked her to start work on a new story and she had first hand BRATISLAVA 00000035 002.3 OF 002 information that Nitman recommended to the Director that her contract be extended. Two new journalists have been added to the "Reporteri" team since her departure. The STV spokesman told media that plans were to have the show be more "civic minded" which required new blood. On her last day in the office Niznansky's secretary hand delivered flowers to her from the director with a note reading "best of luck in your future endeavors"...or for those of you who don't speak Slovak, "cross the director and you pack your bags." EDDINS