Theme: Czechia

Czech public television and radio workers launched a one-day strike on Tuesday against a government plan to cut financing and move funding to the state budget, which they call an attempt to hurt the broadcasters’ independence and viability. The media would receive about 15% less money than they do now, which could likely lead to layoffs, limited production and program cancellations. The bill passed a preliminary vote last month and now awaits further debate in parliament. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš denies an attempt to control the media and says the change fulfills a campaign promise to lighten the financial burden on the population: “There is no fight over democracy. Nobody wants to take over the public media or bring them under state control,” he said. Michal Kubal, chief news editor at Czech Television, said the strike is unprecedented in the history of Czech public service media. The strike has the backing of labor unions, university rectors, churches, international media organizations and hundreds of athletes.

Thousands of people protested in Prague on Sunday against the plan to abolish household licence fees and fund public media through the state budget, after the lower house fast-tracked the bill in a rare overnight vote on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s ruling coalition failed to win a single seat in the Senate election. Candidates linked to opposition parties won 22 of the 27 seats up for grabs, keeping control of the 81-seat house, according to AP. Babis called the result “catastrophic.”