Ljubljana - Defections of prominent journalists to politics are undoubtedly deepening the crisis of journalism and undermining its credibility, Delo says in Saturday's front-page commentary after two journalists have joined the Government Communication Office (UKOM) and the ruling Freedom Movement PR teams this week.

It is no secret that journalism in Slovenia is in a crisis, which is further deepened by prominent journalists crossing into the PR teams in the political arena.

This week's developments point to a problematic understanding of the media by PM and Freedom Movement leader Robert Golob, whose moves are not improving the situation.

Delo says under the headline Golob Not Improving Media Reputation that every politics-induced transfer from journalism to politics worsens the hard situation in the media.

It recalls that the outrage of voters over former PM Janez Janša's butchery in the media was one of the key reasons they voted for Golob in the April election en masse.

Delo says that Janša's declaring war on the media was a major blow to journalism, part of which he instrumentalised for party propaganda.

He dealt heavy blows to the backbone of journalism, the STA and RTV Slovenija, which is felt across the industry, which also has many other structural problems, such as precarisation and opaque ownership.

The media's role is being a watchdog of those in power, and "each 'supervisor' changing sides is a blow for journalism and society", because "there is no return to journalism". Delo says that transitions between journalism and politics are a zero-sum game, while quality journalism is a prerequisite for quality politics.