[Press Freedom Index - SLOVAKIA]: Public media and regulator pressured
RSF in its 2026 Index ranked Slovakia as 37th (similarly to 38th in 2025). However, the trend is alarming. Since the 2023 parliamentary elections Slovakia's ranking fell from #17 (in 2024 to #29 and in 2025 to #38). The Robert Fico's government has been deliberately creating a hostile environment for independent media and critical journalists, while public broadcaster (STVR) is captured by the state. Moreover, the 2018 murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée remains unsolved.
