STATE OF CZECH PRESS - DANGERS AND CHALLENGES

Benjamin Kuras, July 2002

·     Czech daily newspapers are now 100% (in the case of local press) and 80% (in the case of national dailies) in the ownership of 2 German media companies, one of whom has already proved capable of excercising political censorship on its home ground (in Passau, against Anna Rosmus, whose story can be found on the Internet).

·     This ownership has been acquired with the connivance of Czech officialdom, including Government officials and former communist editors.

·     It has been claimed by these newspapers as well as Government officials that German owners' interest is purely commercial. I have now proved it to be a lie: a clear pro-German and anti-Czech bias is in evidence and includes blatant pro-Suden-German propaganda, and such minor details as a complete blackout on any commemoration of 15th March as the anniversary of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.

·     The German-owned national dailies are MFDnes (circulation approx. 300,000), Lidove noviny (approx.100,000), Zemske noviny (100,000?) and Hospodarske noviny (40,000?)..

·     The national dailies remaining fully in Czech ownership are Pravo (200,000, with a strong socialist bias) and Halo noviny (Communist Party's publication, 40,000 or so).

·     N.B.: The Czechs do not have their own daily which would represent and formulate conservative and liberal views.

·     Of the two low-brow "boulevard" dailies, Blesk is owned by a Swiss company and seems to be purely commercial, while Super has an unclear ownership subsidised by unclear commercial interests apparently from North America and remains a commercial flop as well as a low-taste travesty of journalism. Anyone who knows more about this, please let me know: the question why any Czech-Americans would want to pour money into something which is at the same time vulgar and loss-making intrigues me no end.

·     I have had articles in all the three major dailies (Lidove noviny, Pravo and MFDnes). My "travel" through them took an interesting turn this year, when (pissed off with the Sudeten German propaganda flogged onto the readers of Lidove noviny where I was a regular contributor) I wrote an article titled "The Sudeten German Lie and the Czech Survival Instinct", followed shortly by "The Monopolisation of the Czech Press". Lidove noviny point blank refused to publish, and both articles appeared first in The Prague Post, without much effect on the domestic scene or response from English readers. They were later taken on by Pravo and caused quite a stir in Czech politics. I followed them up, again in Pravo, with an article on Czech self-confidence, in which I also raised the question how the no doubt democratic German owners of MFDnes and Lidove noviny can allow second-rate anti-Czech flagellants to tarnish their reputation. Shortly after this, I was approached by MFDnes to write two pre-election ruminations on the state of Czech society, and subsequently asked to become frequent contributor, which I have accepted. One of the subjects I have been asked to tackle is, interestingly, Czech-German relations. This I will do soon and as honestly as I can, as the commissioning editors have understood.

·     While gallavanting between German-owned and socialist papers, I have become aware of the acute need for an Anglo-Saxon style conservative-liberal newspaper, without which I believe the "national soul" may be unable to find its way to true democracy.

·     I know other writers and journalists who would be happy to dedicate their work to just such a cause.

·     I want to hear from any SVU-related, Czech expatriate, or Anglo-American publishing sources which would want to participate in this noble cause and find access to the resources needed either to purchase an already existing Czech paper or set up a new one.

Benjamin Kuras on benkuras@aol.com

Benjamin Kuras is an Anglo-Czech writer, author of Czechs and Balances, As Golems Go, and Is there Life on Marx?
e-mail: benkuras@aol.com

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