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English News Sources on Slovenia
Exploring Terra Incognito by brian pozun, june 2003 Since gaining independence ten years ago, Slovenia has struggled with a major problem—obscurity. It is one of Europe's smallest countries, with just under two million inhabitants and just over 20,000 square kilometers of territory. Its history, submerged in that of Austria and then Yugoslavia for the past millennium or more, is virtually unknown to the uninitiated. Its flag is easily confused with those of several others in the region. Seventy-three years spent as part of Yugoslavia conjure up nightmares of Balkan bloodlust to those who can even make the association. And perhaps the most painful is the fact that the very name of this country, which was once part of Yugoslavia, differs from that of another country in the region—once part of another Slavic federation, Czechoslovakia—by just two letters. The domestic media does little to help matters. Not only all of the country’s daily newspapers, but also many smaller media outlets, have extensive websites – but they are all available exclusively in Slovene. None of the major domestic print media outlets – newspapers or magazines –- do anything significant in any language other than Slovene. Given that the language is spoken by less than two million people world wide, the country’s current events remain obscure to non-Slovene speakers. However, a full array of publications and websites have stepped up to the challenge. Today, both official and also independent news can be found – if the interested reader knows where to look.
Official Sources Government Public Relations and Media Office The website of the government’s Public Relations and Media Office (UVI) is a central source for English-language news about Slovenia, though it must constantly be kept in mind that the information provided is of an official nature. The office’s primary function is to raise awareness about Slovenia around the world, and to keep Slovenes informed about their government. UVI publishes several general-interest publications and brochures about Slovenia, such as The Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Facts About Slovenia and Discover Slovenia. More importantly, the site is a depository for English-language press releases and backgrounders. Slovenia News http://slonews.sta.si/index.php One very accessible source of English-language news on Slovenia is Slovenia Weekly, renamed Slovenia News in September 2002. Initially published by the government’s Office for Public Information and Media and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the name change came a new collaboration with the Slovene Press Agency (STA) The name was changed to reflect the magazine’s ambitions to publish more frequently than once per week, though this has yet to occur. The magazine is available on the internet, as well as in a full-color print edition which is usually around 30 pages with a print run of 2000. Content includes foreign policy, domestic politics, economic news and cultural events, as well as general-interest features. Statistics play a major role in the magazine as well. Predictably, the content is highly polished and strives to present the country through rose colored glasses. The magazine is available free of charge at various sites throughout Ljubljana. Slovenia Business Week http://www.gzs.si/eng/news/sbw/default.htm Slovenia Business Week is published only on the internet, and is composed primarily of STA reports concerning business and the economy, though foreign relations and cultural events also appear from time to time. It is published by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and as such its content tends to be conservative.
Independent Sources Ljubljana Life The oldest "independent" English-language source of information is Ljubljana Life, which appears four or five times per year and is distributed free of charge around the capital. The print edition usually consists of 20-24 pages, with a print run of 8000 copies which it expects to increase to 10,000 by the end of 2003. Content is generally aimed at tourists, and includes events listings, bar and restaurant reviews and other useful information for visitors to Ljubljana. The magazine is available free of charge at various sites throughout Ljubljana, including the Tourist Information Centers and most hotels. Slovenia Bulletin http://geocities.com/ljubljanalife/News.htm The website of Ljubljana Life is a bit different. While it includes much of the same tourist-oriented information the print edition does, it is augmented with message boards aimed at the expat community, and Slovenia Bulletin, a weekly English-language review of the top stories in the Slovene-language press. Slovenia Bulletin was added to the website in September 2001 and sets itself apart from the glossier English-language sources of information about Slovenia by presenting the news as reported by the Slovene-language media, and not by the Slovene government. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Balkan Report has included coverage of Slovenia since late 2001, contributed by Donald F. Reindl. Though usually only one article appears weekly, the news provided is often controversial and always solid. Balkan Report is distributed free of charge every week by subscription via email by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Slovenia Times The latest addition to the English-language media scene is Slovenia Times,
which debuted on 27 March 2003. Though launched as a bi-weekly, the
newspaper is now published once every three weeks with a print run of
10,000 copies. It has set for itself the goal of unifying the
expatriate community in Slovenia. Though the newspaper bills itself as
"the first independent English-language newspaper in Slovenia," its
content is quite conservative and not all that different from the
government-sponsored Slovenia News or Slovenia Business Week. The
newspaper is available free of charge at various sites throughout
Ljubljana, and on Adria Airways flights to and from Ljubljana’s Brnik
airport. Slovenia Business Report Slovenia Business Report is a quarterly magazine published by Gospodarski vestnik, which also publishes leading Slovene-language business publications. The magazine premiered in September 1991, and unfortunately only appears in print. The cost per issue is prohibitive, SIT 2600 (USD 13), but the roughly 70-page magazine is packed with articles on business and the economy, as well as statistics. It has a print run of 3000 and is available at Konzorcij and other bookstores in Ljubljana. Slovenija Quarterly http://sim.kivi-com.si/default3.asp?type=3&MenuID=1512 Published by the immigrants’ association Slovenska izseljenska matica, Slovenija Quarterly is an English-language magazine geared towards ethnic Slovenes living outside of Slovenia. The magazine is heavy on news and current events, and includes extensive coverage of culture and events. It is glossy and fully illustrated, and each issue has about 60 pages. It is available at Konzorcij and other bookstores in Ljubljana
Less Frequent and/or Specialized Sources Central Europe Review Until August 2001, Central Europe Review was a leading internet-based journal which focused on current events and culture in Central Europe. From March 2000 to July 2001, Brian Požun contributed a weekly overview of the headlines in the local press, in English. In September 2001, the project was taken up by Ljubljana Life The journal also regularly included feature articles about Slovenia, by Požun and other contributors including Aleš Debeljak and Alexei Monroe. As of October 2002, Central Europe Review was reorganized as part of Transitions On Line. The journal's full archive remains accessible on the internet. Transitions On Line Transitions On Line is a leading internet-based journal which focuses on current events throughout Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Since June 2000, Dnevnik correspondent Aleš Gaube has contributed roughly one article weekly to the publication on various aspects of Slovenia, primarily domestic politics. Other materials on Slovenia appear less frequently. Gaube is the only professional Slovene journalist who regularly publishes materials in English. Finance Though not a regular source of English-language materials, the daily newspaper Finance has dabbled in English-language publishing from time to time. Its latest venture was in October 2002, when a bilingual supplement detailing relations between Slovenia and the Netherlands was published both in print and on the internet. The supplement is available athttp://www.finance-on.net/index.php?cat=198. The fact that a daily newspaper has taken this step shows that the Slovene media is becoming aware of the need for English-language information about their country. The Financial Times For the past several years, The Financial Times has published an annual survey of Slovenia, which amounts to roughly ten articles over three or four pages of newsprint. Topics are wide ranging, from domestic politics to foreign affairs, to ecology and business. Full contents are accessible to internet users for a fee. Kinoeye http://www.kinoeye.org/archive/slovenia.html Kinoeye is an internet-based journal which focuses on film, and has featured extensive coverage of Slovene cinema since it branched off from Central Europe Review in September 2001. The journal has included features on the annual Festival of Slovene Film, the Ljubljana Festival of Gay and Lesbian Film and various reviews of Slovene film, among other topics. Europemedia http://www.europemedia.net/newsbycountry.asp?CountryID=32 Europemedia is an internet-based review of internet- and new-media issues throughout Europe. It is published by Van Dusseldorp, a Dutch internet research and strategy company. Slovenia has been covered extensively since June 2000, though regular coverage has recently become less frequent. Eurolang http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/ Eurolang operates as an internet-based wire service which produces news items about minority language issues throughout Europe, though it is primarily concerned with Western Europe and the European Union. The site regularly includes news about the Slovene minorities in Austria and Italy. It was launched in 2000. The service is free of charge and available to the general public, though its primary users are European media outlets, as well as minority and regional language media. Eurolang is supported by the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages and the European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture, but it nevertheless enjoys a high level of editorial independence.
Press Agencies and Subscription Services Slovene Press Agency English-Language Service Both the Slovene- and the English-language services of the Slovene Press Agency (STA) were established as Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Currently, the STA English service publishes more than 30 items on a daily basis, on a full spectrum of themes and topics. Aside from the up-to-the-minute news wire, the English service also produces a daily review, a weekly economic review and year-end reviews on various themes. Though this is by far the most important source of English-language news on Slovenia, it is a subscription service and only very little English-language news is widely available to individual readers. BBC Monitoring BBC Monitoring is a regular service of the BBC, which provides English-language news from around the world, including from Slovenia. Unfortunately, it is not generally available to the public, though it is accessible without special subscription through some internet databases, such as ProQuest. As far as its coverage of Slovenia goes, BBC Monitoring produces about 10 news items daily, composed primarily of translations of news items from Radio Televizija Slovenia and STA, though translations of items from other Slovene-language media are also included from time to time, as well as original reporting.
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