Censorship at CT

Every major personnel change at Czech Television is significant, because of the impact the public broadcaster has on politics and business. News that Marek Wollner might be sacked as star reporter and script editor of the Reportéři ČT investigative newsmagazine is tremendously important, because it suggests that censorship will be a building block of the Nečas government, even as the coalition is so boldly and attractively promising the rule of law and a battle against corruption. No one in a position of responsibility will of course openly admit the reason Wollner is in the crosshairs, but Wollner himself suggested to Digizone that the pressure might be related to tough stories about ODS and specifically Blanka tunnel or Milan Jančík. Others trace the problem to Miroslav Kalousek and the environmental cleanup tender, which Reportéři has shown absolutely no mercy toward. No matter which it is, Wollner's situation deserves at least as much scrutiny as that given to the question of why Czech TV is getting a new news director. [Czech Republic Česká televize]