The present scientific study deals with the legislative and ethical norms that apply in the environment of media production. The authors have focused their attention mainly on the media in post-communist countries, namely the Slovak and Czech Republics and Croatia. In the process of drafting, they have made a detailed analysis of the legislative norms, giving special emphasis to a brief historical overview of the development of these documents, where they also describe the work of radio journalists, how journalists’ sources of information are protected, and how the documents reflect new forms of media development, such as online media, streaming services, podcasts, etc. A similar analysis has also been made of ethical standards in the above-mentioned countries, particularly in terms of the possibility of applying existing codes of ethics specifically to radio broadcasting and radio workers, but also of new developments that a code of ethics should cover, such as comments on social networks, profiles of journalists, their statements, etc. The study also includes a questionnaire for radio workers who process information and focuses on how they apply ethical and legislative standards in practice. Thus, the aim of the submitted study is to compare the ethical and legislative framework of work in the radio media in selected post-communist countries of Europe and their application in practice.

Student radio stations are an important part of the media environment in Slovakia. Our research focused on obtaining information on the functioning of these stations, including their legal regulation, training of new members and formal integration into university structures. Student radio stations have several rights and obligations secured by the new Slovak Media Act and can be classified as community radio stations. Students are mostly mentored and apprenticed by senior radio colleagues for a semester or a whole year to hone their communication skills, create scripts and master broadcasting techniques. Student radio stations are under the umbrella of, or are part of, a university, but focus on student topics in content and do not serve as a medium for a given educational institution. The topic for discussion remains whether the student radio stations are fulfilling their legal obligations and whether they are interested in applying for a radio broadcasting licence. The qualitative research carried out in this study shows that the majority of radio stations in Slovakia have advertisements on air, mostly in the form of barter, and the principles regarding commercial media communication are not always followed. A big question mark is the possibility of obtaining a radio broadcasting licence, as the current legislation may be too restrictive for student radio stations. Overall, the research has shown that student radio stations are an important part of the media environment and can provide students with valuable experience and knowledge in media work.