15 Percent Cut Sparks Fears Over Czech Media Independence
Czech voters may lose their TV fee as state takes over broadcast funding.
By Diego Ross ·
The Czech government has taken a bold step to overhaul the funding of public media, ending the 205 crown household broadcasting fee and shifting the money to the state budget. This change would cut funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about 15 percent, with nominal funding remaining unchanged for several years. Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who has long criticized the media for its coverage of his policies, says the new model is fairer to poorer households and will push outlets to operate more efficiently. He has also rejected claims that the changes threaten press freedom, saying, 'There is no war for independent media,' and that no nationalisation of media is being prepared.
Opposition parties have compared the changes to reforms under Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and employees of the public broadcasters have raised concerns that tying their funding to the state budget would leave them open to government pressure. They staged a strike in June over these fears, and further protests are planned, with a civic group calling a public demonstration for Sunday and journalists and other employees at the broadcasters announcing a strike for November 3.
Public media hold a prominent place in Czech life, with Czech Television being the most-watched broadcaster across several age groups and public media among the most trusted news sources in the country. The changes have raised questions about whether the independence of national broadcasters will be affected, and the debate is far from over.
The governing coalition has moved forward with the plan, brushing aside criticism that the changes could undermine the independence of national broadcasters. Lawmakers from the coalition voted to refer the bill to committees for further discussion in a rare overnight session that ran into the early hours of Saturday. The government has kept its promise to voters, as Babis pledged to abolish the fee before he took office last December.
The changes have already sparked alarm among public broadcaster employees, and further protests are planned as the debate continues to unfold.
Source: Al Jazeera
