Imagine you’ve just suffered a near-death experience—an assassination attempt. Now, imagine the news folks, from their cozy offices, already taking a swing at you before even knowing whether you’ll make it or not! That’s exactly what went down with the BBC, just a few ticks after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times Wednesday.
BBC’s Prague correspondent Rob Cameron didn’t miss a beat. Fico, brushed with death, fighting for life in the hospital, and Cameron thought it the perfect time to draft a ‘hit piece’ ominously titled “How Robert Fico rose to dominate Slovak politics”. Real classy, Rob.
Despite Fico in surgery, on the brink, Cameron draws focus to an ironic tale of continued self-reinvention and clinging to political power, throwing shade to his scandal-ridden career. He then dives conveniently into Fico’s supposed ‘fall from grace’, highlighting the mass protests and subsequent resignation that marked 2018.
Unstoppable, Cameron continues to castigate Fico, on a ventilator. He criticizes the sweeping reforms Fico launched during his scant six months back in office. Brandishing phrases like “sledgehammer to Slovakia’s institutions,” the ‘hit piece’ mocks the host of structural changes, namely the dramatic criminal justice system revamp, shutting down long-standing legal bodies, and dismantling the national broadcaster—RTVS.
Fico dared argue that RTVS lacked objectivity, considering it continuously butted heads with his government. An overhaul of RTVS, he believed, would aid in addressing this supposedly ‘unsustainable’ conflict. But opposition voices, including the European Commission, warned against this, citing potential impact on media freedom.
Cameron, however, seems to ignore when other ‘public broadcasters’ laud crackdowns on ‘far-right’ media outlets–like NPR cheering for Poland’s gutsy move against their critical media. BBC, too, has its hypocritical moments, it would seem.
Taking a swift jab at Fico’s opposition, Cameron ends his piece by stoking fears of potential political fallout should Fico recover. He reports on Deputy Prime Minister Andrej Danko calling for ‘political war’ and flagging rising tensions since Fico’s latest administration was formed.
Clearly, BBC isn’t too fond of Robert Fico, especially because of his stand on Ukraine. However, their ill-timed critique, launched just hours after an assassination attempt left Fico critically wounded, reeks of poor taste. Is expecting restraint, at least on such a day, too much to ask?
