Ljubljana - The trade unions of RTV Slovenija and TV Slovenija have called on general director of the public broadcaster Andrej Grah Whatmough to dismiss the recently appointed director of TV Slovenija Uroš Urbanija over pressure and threats targetting evening news anchor Saša Krajnc and editor Vesna Pfeiffer.

In a press statement the two unions said on Wednesday that Urbanija had unlawfully bullied and threatened Kranjc and Pfeiffer with disciplinary action.

He unjustifiably discredited the anchor and the editor, also by demanding they be transferred to other jobs, the unions said, stating that Urbanija's wrongdoing amounted to sackable offences under the public broadcaster statute.

Yesterday, Urbanija called for Krajnc and Pfeiffer to be transferred over how they decided to present a report on the broadcaster ending its business with the magazine Mladina.

On the main news show TV Dnevnik last week anchor Saša Krajnc announced a report on the reasons why Urbanija was ending business cooperation with Mladina by saying it was being aired at the explicit request of editor-in-chief Jadranka Rebernik.

The report had not been prepared by the Dnevnik team, but by a journalist of Panorama, a different news show. Pfeiffer said that she was told the segment would be about Covid-19 tests, but learnt less than an hour before the start of Dnevnik that the subject had been changed and that the report was already finished.

The trade unions believe Krajnc and Pfeiffer had done nothing wrong. They were simply following professional and programming standards.

Last night, as Krajnc was finishing Dnevnik, a group of journalists, anchors and other members of the Dnevnik and Odmevi teams came into the shot to stand behind him. Grah Whatmough today issued an apology to viewers over this symbolic show of support.

The unions believe the threats are the continuation of pressure against journalism and journalistic autonomy, which have become even worse since Urbanija was appointed TV Slovenija director.