Abstract
Slovak criminal law allows the highest possible punishment for criminal defamation in Europe - 8 years in prison. This paper shows how this law is used against investigative reporters and deals with criminalisation of Slovak journalists for fulfilling their watchdog duty.
As a method, this article uses qualitative in-depth interviews with 5 reporters, who faced charges with verbal crimes, and with a criminal prosecutor providing necessary context. The results of this research show that Slovak journalists, despite risking 8 years in prison, do not feel threatened by criminal charges.
On the other hand, their employers - publishing and broadcasting companies - are vulnerable to civil lawsuits because of large damages awarded to claimants. The experience of interviewed journalists confirmed possibility of a chilling effect of these lawsuits towards critical and investigative journalism.