Thousands join Czech protest against public media financing plan

Czech public media workers went on strike and thousands rallied across the country on Tuesday over a government plan to change the way public broadcasting is funded. The plan is led by billionaire-turned-Prime Minister Andrej Babis and has already seen street protests in recent months. The protesters fear the plan to switch from a license fee paid by individuals to direct financing from the state budget will enable the government to stifle media freedom. The coalition government, however, argues that the broadcasters need to cut costs and insists the plan will have no impact on editorial independence or program content. The media would receive about 15 percent less money than they do now, which could lead to staff layoffs, limited production and program cancellations. The plan has also drawn criticism from international organizations including the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute. Both Czech TV and Czech Radio reduced their programming on Tuesday with thousands of employees joining the protest.