Founded in 1993, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) is a Slovak news agency.
Media assets
News agency: TASR
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) was established as an independent public service institution, as Law No. 385/2008 outlined. The agency is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees. The National Council appoints these members based on nominations from a specialized parliamentary committee. The Board of Trustees is responsible for electing TASR’s director-general.
Source of funding and budget
The main source of funding for TASR is the revenue generated from the sales of its services. In 2021, TASR had an annual budget of €5m, with 60% of this amount derived from service sales revenues. The remaining 40% was subsidized by the state, as per the data retrieved from an online database that tracks state expenditure in Slovakia.
According to the company’s annual report, TASR operated on a budget of €5.1 million in 2022, with approximately 52% of this amount generated internally by the agency and the remaining 48% sourced from a state subsidy.
Editorial independence
In the past, TASR faced accusations of bias towards the government and various political parties. However, recent years have shown no evidence of government control over the agency’s editorial coverage. An ad hoc content analysis conducted for this report in March 2023 revealed that TASR’s news content is generally balanced and objective, with no apparent pro-government bias in its coverage. A content analysis conducted in June 2024 revealed a minor bias in TASR’s news reports favoring the government. However, there is no unequivocal evidence indicating government control over the agency’s editorial agenda.
There is no domestic statute or independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate TASR’s editorial independence.
August 2024