The ministry said the mail was about dealing with the media "with caution" | Christian Bruna/AFP via Getty Images Austria’s interior ministry lists ‘critical media’ An email sent to the police accuses several domestic media of ‘one-sided and negative reporting.’

Austria’s interior ministry, headed by the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), has accused several domestic media of “one-sided and negative” reporting, and advised the police which media to talk to and how to communicate with them.

A four-page email sent to the police includes a list of “critical media” — specifically naming Falter, Der Standard and Kurier — which, according to the ministry, “have unfortunately … operated a very one-sided and negative coverage of the interior ministry and the police.”

The mail, seen by some of the media under attack, including Der Standard, suggests “minimizing the communication with those media” as far as legally possible, and urges against “enabling exclusive coverage.”

The mail, sent under the name of interior ministry spokesman Christoph Pölzl, also lists media “that are willing to cooperate” and approves talking points such as migration.

Teilt das. Retweetet das.

Schaut, dass es jeder liest. Infosperre für die Schlimmen,

Zuckerln für die Braven. Die offizielle Informationspolitik von Innenminister Herbert Kickl.

#kickl pic.twitter.com/GrqDBsv8Ox — Florian Klenk (@florianklenk) September 24, 2018

In a statement, the ministry said the mail is about dealing with the media “with caution,” and is based on the “longstanding experience of communication employees” at the ministry.

The ministry added that the mail is just a suggestion, “without any obligation or directive,” and had not come directly from Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, Welt reported.

Speaking in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said “every sort of restriction to press freedom is not acceptable.”

“A boycott of media must not happen in Austria.”