From the Editor-in-Chief: Our Campaign Wins National Award as the Fight for Democracy Intensifies. I am proud to share that the campaign which gave rise to the Slovak Media Monitor (SMM) has been awarded a Bronze Digital PIE, a national accolade recognising the best in digital communication. Launched in autumn 2024 to bridge Slovakia’s domestic political discourse with the international community, SMM has in under six months published 210 articles in English, gained over 1,055 professional followers — including diplomats, NATO and EU officials, political and military advisers, and journalists — and reached nearly one million views. Our Weekly Briefing Newsletter now informs 2,757 members of the international expert community. In a time when defending democracy is growing ever more difficult, this award is a reminder that security expertise and strategic communication must go hand in hand. I am grateful to all who stood behind this campaign, and I can promise that this autumn, we will take the fight for democracy here at home to the next level — because we are not giving up on Slovakia, on Ukraine, on Europe, or on our common future.
Dear readers, I am proud to announce that the campaign which gave rise to the Slovak Media Monitor (SMM) has been awarded a Bronze Digital PIE – a national accolade recognising the best digital marketing projects in Slovakia.
Security and defence expertise must go hand in hand with world-class strategic communication. This has been the guiding principle of my professional work, and it is gratifying to see that approach formally recognised.
SMM is a watchdog initiative launched in autumn 2024 with a clear purpose: to bridge the information gap between Slovakia’s domestic political discourse and the international community. In remarkably little time, SMM has become a trusted source for observers following developments in democracy, the rule of law, and media freedom in Slovakia.
In just under six months, we have published 210 articles in English. We are followed on LinkedIn by over 1,055 professionals – among them diplomats, political and military advisers, EU and NATO officials, journalists, commentators and foreign think-tank representatives. Our content has so far generated 953,074 views, and our flagship product – the SMM Weekly Briefing Newsletter – is now read regularly by 2,757 members of the international expert community – subscribe on our website now! To keep this momentum going and expand our reach, supporters can contribute from as little as €3 per month – less than the cost of a cappuccino.
This award is also a reminder that in a country where defending democracy is becoming increasingly difficult, there is real value in investing in expert-led media initiatives that can present complex realities with clarity and precision. It underscores the strategic imperative to connect (information) security and defence (of democracy) with strong, effective communication – two sides of the same coin.
My sincere thanks go first to everyone who supported this project. Special thanks also to PS:Digital and Peter Šebo, whose vision of the world – though it does not yet exist – is one that should. To Ján Plišnák, the mind behind our data strategy. To the Donio Slovensko platform and its exceptional team – particularly Zuzana Suchová, without whom this campaign would never have been so sharply executed – and to Juraj Zamborský, another key data mind who stood behind the campaign.
The world we once knew is shifting before our eyes – and not for the better. But most of today’s struggles do not play out on battlefields, but in the hearts and minds of people. Projects like SMM succeed because they help make sense of those shifts. SMM is built for an international audience – but what of our audiences here in Slovakia?
I will not say much just yet – but this autumn, something big is coming, and it is for us, here at home. Because we need it. We are not afraid. We are not giving up on Democracy, Ukraine and a secure European future. We are not walking away from this fight.
Victor Breiner
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Slovak Media Monitor
