Zem a Vek

Zem a Vek (also styled ZEM & VEK or Zem & Vek) is a Slovak monthly magazine and news portal that presents itself as an "alternative medium without advertising." It was founded by Tibor Rostás (who also uses the pseudonym Tibor Eliot Rostas), Ivan Galanský, Marián Benka and Dušan Budzák. The project combines a print magazine sold at newsstands and by subscription with a website that began as a support and e-shop channel and later grew into a standalone news outlet publishing its own articles. The magazine is organized into two broad parts: news reporting and an "alternative" section. Its news sections include Dymové signály, Ekonomika, Udalosti a súvislosti, Orbis pictus, Téma mesiaca, Rendez-vous, Propaganda, Déjà vu, Bez Masky, Pavučina, Korešpondenti and Tribúna; the alternative part includes Neznámi hrdinovia, Expedícia archa, Alternative vita, Nájomní vrahovia, Herbár, Jeden deň, Príbehy zeme, Múzy and Mandragora. The magazine has expanded from an original 120 pages to 128 and later 132 pages. Beyond print and web, Zem a Vek runs public talks and discussions (besedy), mainly in libraries in regional and district towns across Slovakia, with monthly appearances at Ateliér Babylon in Bratislava. The project also operates an e-shop and sells tickets to theatre events. According to its publishers it is financed by its readers through newsstand sales, subscriptions, e-shop purchases and theatre admissions. Zem a Vek is widely described as a conspiracy and disinformation outlet. It has been repeatedly criticized for spreading conspiracy theories, Russian propaganda, factual misleading, improper handling of sources and subthreshold incitement to hatred against minorities. In November 2016 its representatives, together with those of other conspiracy-oriented editorial teams (Slobodný vysielač, Hlavné správy, Medzičas and Dav Dva), founded the Association of Independent Media (ANM), intended among other things to protect members from attacks by mainstream media. The Konspiratori.sk commission, made up of people from NGOs, newspapers (Denník N, SME) and publishers (Mafra Slovakia, Petit Press), lists ZEM & VEK among conspiracy media. In October 2019 editor-in-chief Tibor Rostás was charged with spreading extremist materials, together with the misdemeanour of defaming nation, race and belief and the misdemeanour of inciting national, racial and ethnic hatred. He was convicted and given a financial penalty. Several members have left the editorial team over time, including Ivan Galanský, Ján Gas, Radoslav Chrzán, Anton Smataník, Ľubomír Huďo and Milan Pullman. Regular contributors have included Patrik Svoboda, Juraj Pokorný, Peter Čalovka, Peter Staněk, Viktor Timura, Vladimír Liška, Jan Lakota and Milka Zimková.

Zem a Vek was founded by Tibor Rostás (who also uses the pseudonym Tibor Eliot Rostas), Ivan Galanský, Marián Benka and Dušan Budzák. It began as a Slovak monthly magazine that presented itself as an "alternative medium without advertising," combining a print product sold at newsstands and by subscription with a website. The website initially served only as support for the magazine and as an e-shop, but later began publishing its own articles that, because of timeliness and limited space, did not appear in the print magazine. The magazine's structure has remained stable and is divided into two parts: news reporting and an alternative section. The news sections include Dymové signály, Ekonomika, Udalosti a súvislosti, Orbis pictus, Téma mesiaca, Rendez-vous, Propaganda, Déjà vu, Bez Masky, Pavučina, Korešpondenti and Tribúna. The alternative sections include Neznámi hrdinovia, Expedícia archa, Alternative vita, Nájomní vrahovia, Herbár, Jeden deň, Príbehy zeme, Múzy and Mandragora. The magazine has grown from an original 120 pages to 128 and later 132 pages. Public talks and discussions (besedy) were added later as the project's most recent component. They take place mainly in libraries in various regional and district towns across Slovakia, with monthly appearances at Ateliér Babylon in Bratislava. The project also operates an e-shop and sells tickets to theatre events. According to its publishers, it is financed by its readers through newsstand sales, subscriptions, e-shop purchases and theatre admissions. However, an interview between Rostás and Kuznetsov, Russia's ambassador to Slovakia, was published in which they discussed its financing. In November 2016, representatives of the conspiracy-oriented editorial teams ZEM & VEK, Slobodný vysielač, Hlavné správy, Medzičas and Dav Dva founded the Association of Independent Media (ANM), whose task was, among other things, to protect members from attacks by mainstream media. According to the Konspiratori.sk commission, made up of people from non-governmental organizations, newspapers (Denník N, SME) and publishers (Mafra Slovakia, Petit Press), ZEM & VEK is classified among conspiracy media. Zem a Vek and its editor-in-chief Tibor Rostás have been repeatedly criticized for spreading conspiracy theories, Russian propaganda, factual misleading, improper handling of sources and subthreshold incitement to hatred against minorities. In October 2019, T. Rostás was charged with spreading extremist materials, together with the misdemeanour of defaming nation, race and belief and the misdemeanour of inciting national, racial and ethnic hatred. He was convicted and given a financial penalty. A number of editorial members have left over time, including Ivan Galanský, Ján Gas, Radoslav Chrzán, Anton Smataník, Ľubomír Huďo and Milan Pullman. Regular contributors to the magazine have included Patrik Svoboda, Juraj Pokorný, Peter Čalovka, Peter Staněk, Viktor Timura, Vladimír Liška, Jan Lakota and Milka Zimková. The medium's activities also include appearances and discussions in various places across Slovakia.

• Zem a Vek founded by Tibor Rostás, Ivan Galanský, Marián Benka and Dušan Budzák.

• November 2016: Representatives of ZEM & VEK and other conspiracy-oriented editorial teams founded the Association of Independent Media (ANM).

• October 2019: Editor-in-chief Tibor Rostás charged with spreading extremist materials, defaming nation, race and belief, and inciting national, racial and ethnic hatred; later convicted and fined.

Self-described "alternative medium without advertising"; widely characterized as a conspiracy and disinformation outlet.

• ZEM & VEK monthly magazine

  Print magazine with news and alternative sections, 132 pages.

• zemavek.sk news portal

  Website publishing its own articles beyond the print magazine.

• E-shop

  Online store contributing to the project's income.

• Public talks (besedy)

  Discussions held mainly in libraries across Slovakia and monthly at Ateliér Babylon in Bratislava.

1. 1Hlavná stránka - Zem&Vekzemavek.sk
2. 2Zem a Vekwikidata.org
3. 3ZEM & VEKcs.wikipedia.org