Czech public media employees, including those from Czech Television (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo), have staged a one-day warning strike to oppose government plans to shift their funding from a licence fee system to direct state budget control. The strike, centered at CT’s Prague headquarters, followed a large public protest and is part of ongoing rallies against what critics see as efforts by Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s populist government to undermine the independence of the country’s respected public media. The government argues the new funding model, which would cut resources to 2008 levels, is fairer to poorer households and encourages efficiency, but opponents fear it grants the government leverage to interfere in editorial work, drawing parallels to actions in Hungary and Slovakia.
During the strike, programmes on CT and CRo began with delays and countdown clocks, accompanied by explanatory notes, as thousands of journalists and staff participated. Protesters, many dressed in black, displayed banners with messages like “We are not state media” and “Independence is no expenditure,” emphasizing their demand to maintain editorial autonomy. The government’s plan, approved last week, would reduce funding by about 15 percent next year, potentially leading to job losses and programme cancellations, according to the directors of the public broadcasters. This move follows Babis’s pre-election promise to cancel licence fees, but his administration, which includes far-right and radical-right figures, has long criticized the outlets for their liberal outlook and alleged bias.
Critics, including Reporters Without Borders, have condemned the government’s actions, warning of threats to media freedom. The opposition to such efforts is not new; in 2000, a similar bid to seize political control led to journalists occupying CT studios and broadcasting independently, with large street protests forcing the government to back down and strengthen the broadcasters’ independence. The current strike reflects deep concerns that the government is repeating past patterns, seeking to exert political influence over public media through financial control. The standoff underscores a broader struggle in the Czech Republic over the role and independence of public service broadcasting in a democratic society.
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