Czech Coalition Advances Public Media Overhaul in Overnight Vote, Drawing Independence Concerns
The Czech ruling coalition pushed public media funding changes through a first parliamentary hurdle in a rare overnight vote early on Saturday, October 24, despite criticism that they could weaken the independence of the country's public broadcasters. (GSM, via Reuters)
The populist government of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, backed by the far-right SPD party, proposed the changes. The government has frequently criticised public and private media coverage of its policies and accused some outlets of bias. The proposal was brought to the floor outside the planned order of proceedings on Friday: Speaker Tomio Okamura of the SPD limited debate and scheduled the vote for 4:36 a.m. on Saturday. The coalition's majority then voted to send the bill to committees for further discussion.
The government says it is scrapping the 205 crown ($9.45) monthly household broadcasting fee to ease costs for consumers, with funding to come from the state budget instead. The proposal would cut funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about 15 percent, possibly as early as next year, and keep nominal funding unchanged for several years.
Opposition parties have compared the proposed changes with media reforms in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who oversaw a major expansion of pro-government media. Critics say the changes would weaken the broadcasters and make them more vulnerable to political pressure. Czech Television is the country's most-watched broadcaster across major age groups, and public media are among the most trusted news sources in the country, according to a 2025 Reuters Institute survey. The European Federation of Journalists said in a statement that the bill goes against the European Media Freedom Act, which requires adequate, stable and predictable funding for public service media. The fast-track treatment also drew criticism from the broadcasters, international journalism groups and institutions including universities and the Catholic Church.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament, with some remaining overnight, and local media reported that several people unsuccessfully tried to enter the building. A civic group has called a public protest for Sunday, and journalists and other employees at the broadcasters have announced a strike for November 3. "There is no war for independent media," Babis said on Facebook late on Friday. "There is no fight for democracy and no nationalisation of media is being prepared."
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于布拉格 Kavci hory 的捷克电视台总部大楼（资料图）。照片：VitVit，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons
