Final Word from Thursday, August 28, 2014

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Let's face it: Most Czechs don't need detailed information about what is going on in the world around them, because they're not doing anything important enough to make the information of much value to them. Those who brag about not reading the newspapers and about relying only on the internet are in effect admitting that their activities aren't very important. Those who are indeed doing important things take the Czech newspapers very seriously, because they contain a wealth of information that never shows up on the internet. A month before he became editor-in-chief of MF Dnes, Jaroslav Plesl spoke of banding the newspaper publishers together and starting to charge for access to their online content. Antitrust issues aside, it probably won't happen, because too few people would be willing to pay. Most readers would simply adjust their information requirements downward again, just as they did when the internet took off. [Czech Republic MFD daily dailies media press]