Democratizing & Debasing

Abstract

This essay examines the transformation of the culture of the Czech news media in the wake of the Cold War. Existing research on transitions from statist to capitalist media models emphasizes political or economic variables, and so this analysis is distinguished by a focus on culture—specifically, the collective beliefs and attitudes among networks of journalists and political actors in a particular national context. This research incorporates a synthesis of existing literature as well as in-depth interviews with key informants (including journalists, scholars, and political strategists) in the Czech Republic during fieldwork in the fall of 2015. It attempts to explain how the pivot to a market-oriented media culture within the Czech Republic led to: the fortification of a nationalist identity, an abundance of journalism outlets, and ultimately a celebritization of the political culture within the Czech Republic. These outcomes are described and interpreted within the context of globalization and media change.

KEYWORDS:

• Czech Republic
• journalism
• commercialization
• celebritization
• democracy
• mediatization

Notes

1 Czechs had been exposed, however, to the Czech language programming of Western radio broadcasters – in 1982, one fifth of Czech citizens tuned into the US’s Voice of America (and slightly fewer to Radio Free Europe and the BBC), and this would climb to one third of the population by 1989 (IPORFS 1989, 16).

2 TV Nova, the private cable news channel started by Vladimir Zelezny (with Ronald Lauder of the Estee Lauder family as an initial financial backer), ran a three-minute program called “Pocasicko” – an erotic weather report – each night, featuring a nude model crassly imitating a meteorologist. At first, the meteorologists were exclusively women, but then the reports began featuring men. It is unclear whether the addition of men represented a true commercial demand or a commitment toward gender equality and, thus, social responsibility.

3 Rather than using press outlets as political instruments, at least one of these moguls (Babis) has proposed, conversely, to run the country like a company (Pehe, personal communication, November 10, 2015).

4 With an approximately 15 percent response rate after surveys were sent to all 200 members of the House of Deputies and 81 members of the Senate.

5 This is a criticism that often gets lodged against American public television as corporate sponsorship, the donations of wealthy individuals, and the competition for audience share have hampered its public mission (Ledbetter 1998).

6 Transitions Online is an Internet magazine that covers the formerly communist countries of Europe and Central Asia. It is a nonprofit organization which receives some funding from international NGOs and Western governments. It runs professional training workshops for journalists in these countries and advocates for independent and professional journalism. More information: http://www.tol.org/client/transitions/11869-about-us.html