Czech presenter Daniel Stach to leave Czech TV over public media funding reforms
Daniel Stach, one of the Czech Republic’s best-known television presenters and science journalists, told France 24’s Gavin Lee he is prepared to leave Czech TV and walk away from his career rather than work under a planned overhaul of public media funding that he says would threaten the independence of public broadcasting. He joined demonstrators in Prague on Sunday 15 November alongside Czech public television, as hundreds of thousands rallied against the right-wing government’s proposals.
Protesters carried “Hands off the media” banners. They argue that the move, pushed by populist billionaire prime minister Andre Babiš, would erode media independence and democracy. Opposition parties have compared an October bill to changes in Hungary under former prime minister Viktor Orban, who built an array of pro-government media. Babiš has vowed to press ahead despite the protests and denied that the plan would affect media freedom. Stach’s interview framed what is at stake for Czech television, journalism and democracy as the funding overhaul proceeds.
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