Slovakia: new Press Act

The right to correction, the right of reply and the right to an additional notice are the main features of the new Press Act which came into force on 1 June 2008.

The rights are against publishers of periodicals, such as newspapers and magazines, which are published at least twice a year under the same name, with the same contents and with a unified graphical layout. They are only available to the identifiable subjects of the false assertions, or, if they have died, to their relatives.

Publishers who fail to comply with a request for a correction, reply or additional notice can be ordered by the court to publish one and to pay compensation of between SKK50,000 and SKK 150,000 to the person who made the request.

The right to correction

• Available to any person about whom a false assertion is made by a periodical, where it is possible to identify them from the assertion
• Requests for a correction must be delivered to the publisher within 30 days of the false assertion first being published in the periodical. It must be in writing, signed by the person requesting it and include a written proposal of the correction wording containing:
  • the name and date of periodical
  • a description of the false assertion
  • a statement saying that the assertion in question is false
  • a correct assertion
• The publisher is not obliged to publish a correction where:
  • the request does not contain all the required particulars and the publisher is able to prove that the assertion is true, or
  • the request relates to an assertion published with the prior approval of the party requesting it
• The publisher is otherwise obliged to publish a correction free of charge within eight days of receiving the request or in the next issue of the periodical

The right of reply

• Available to any person about whom an assertion is made by a periodical which affects their honour, dignity or privacy, where it is possible to identify them from the assertion
• Also available to any legal entity about which an assertion is made by a periodical which affects their name and reputation, where it is possible to identify them from the assertion
• Requests for a right of reply must be delivered to the publisher within 30 days of the assertion first being published in the periodical. It must be in writing, signed by the person requesting it and include:
  • the name, date and place of publishing of the periodical
  • a description of the false assertion
  • a statement saying in what respect the assertion affects their honour, dignity or privacy, or name and reputation (as appropriate)
  • the wording of the response in writing, which must include a counter-assertion to disaffirm, complete, specify or correct the false assertion
• The publisher is not obliged to publish a correction where:
  • the request does not contain all the required particulars, or
  • the reply negates to an assertion published with the prior approval of the party requesting it
• The publisher is otherwise obliged to publish the reply free of charge within three days of receiving the request or in the next issue of the periodical

The right to additional notice

• The right is to the publication of an addition notice following the final decision in proceedings brought against them by a public authority
• Available to any person about whom a false assertion is made by a periodical regarding those proceedings, where it is possible to identify them from the assertion
• A request for an additional notice must be delivered to the publisher within 30 days of the decision in the proceedings becoming final. It must be in writing, signed by the person requesting it and include a written proposal of the additional notice wording
• The publisher is obliged to publish an additional notice within eight days of receiving the request or in the next issue of the periodical