Czech media bill fast-tracked despite freedom fears

The Czech parliament voted Saturday to fast-track a bill that would change how public television and radio are funded, despite protests, opposition criticism and warnings about press freedom.

The bill would abolish licence fees for public media and replace them with direct allocations from the state budget. It could cut funding for public TV and radio by around 15 percent from next year.

The legislation, backed by the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis and including two far-right parties, passed its first reading early Saturday.

Babis said on social media after the vote: “We are delivering on our promises.” Tomio Okamura, leader of the far-right SPD party, said during the debate that it was “immoral and disgraceful” to pay for something that worked against his interests, his country's interests and his people's interests.

The coalition says both public broadcasters need to make savings and says the new funding model will not affect editorial independence or programme content. The bill says the government is following a European trend away from licence-fee funding.

Opposition Pirate Party leader Zdenek Hrib compared the government's approach to that of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The opposition has pledged to challenge the policy in the constitutional court.

Employees of the two public media outlets have announced a strike for November 3. The European Broadcasting Union, European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute are among the organisations that have criticised the reform.

Several hundred protesters gathered outside parliament ahead of Saturday's vote. A larger demonstration is scheduled in Prague on Sunday afternoon.