[Imc-newsroom] Czech TV meeting tonight

[William Gillespie]

Apologies for cross-posting.

Tonight at 8 at the Embassy I'm meeting with Simon Kos to find out more
about the situation in the Czech Republic, to help him draft an
English-language petition, and to think about how to help disseminate
information about the crisis. Anyone interested is welcome.

Czech TV, as I understand it, is state-run broadcast television. For
transparent political reasons, on December 20th, Jiri Hodak, ally of
former prime minister and Civic Democratic Party leader Vaclav Klaus,
was appointed general manager of Czech TV by the parliament-appointed
Czech Television Council. The journalists have been camping out at the
station ever since, on a sit-in strike, continuing to put together news,
which is mostly being censored by the new director. 89% of Czechs,
including president Havel, want the director removed, and the protests
going on are larger than any since those that overthrew the communist
regime in 1989. Protestors are calling for a removal of the new station
director, the board that appointed him, and asking that congress pass a
new Public Television Bill (already being prepared) to better protect
the TV station against future political takeover.

You can find out more tonight.

William