Czech Coalition Pushes Public Media Funding Overhaul Forward Despite Independence Concerns
Lawmakers in Prague voted overnight to send a bill ending the household broadcasting fee to committee, even as critics warn it could erode the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio.
By News Media House Staff ·
The Czech Republic's governing coalition has moved forward with a plan to overhaul the funding of public media, brushing aside criticism that the changes could undermine the independence of national broadcasters.
In a rare overnight session that ran into the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers from the coalition voted to refer the bill to committees for further discussion.
At the center of the proposal is the end of the 205 crown ($9.45) household broadcasting fee. Under the plan, the money would instead come from the state budget. The measure would also reduce funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about 15 percent, and nominal funding would then stay unchanged for several years.
The government is led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a populist, and is backed by the far-right SPD party. It has often criticised both public and private media for their coverage of its policies and has accused some outlets of bias. Babis pledged to abolish the fee before he took office last December, and he says his three-party government is now keeping that promise to voters.
He has defended the new model as fairer to poorer households and said it would push outlets to operate more efficiently. In a Facebook post late on Friday, Babis rejected the charge that the changes threaten press freedom. "There is no war for independent media," he wrote. "There is no fight for democracy and no nationalisation of media is being prepared."
Opponents are not convinced. Opposition parties have likened the changes to reforms carried out under Viktor Orban, the former prime minister of neighbouring Hungary. Employees of the public broadcasters have also voiced alarm. They staged a strike in June, arguing that tying their funding to the state budget would leave them open to government pressure.
The stakes are high because public media hold a prominent place in Czech life. They rank among the most trusted news sources in the country, and Czech Television is the most-watched broadcaster across several age groups.
Further protests are planned. A civic group has called a public demonstration for Sunday, and journalists and other employees at the broadcasters have announced a strike for November 3.
Source: Al Jazeera
