Czech Conservative Bedfellows Spark Questions about Media Independence

A meeting between a conservative member of the Czech Television Council and the PPF’s person responsible for media communications has led to more questions than answers. After Petr Kellner’s sudden death earlier this year, close relations between the holding and conservative politicians show no sign of abating anytime soon.

A rather strange meeting took place in Prague in March involving high profile media people in Czechia. However, even more remarkable was how the meeting’s participants gave different accounts of why they met and what exactly they discussed. The participants were conservative member of the Czech Television Council Hana Lipovská and Vladimír Mlynář, a former high profile journalist, politician and the current Head of Communications at the PPF Group.

Each took to their social media profiles on Facebook and Twitter respectively, to give contradictory explanations as to the purpose of the meeting.

While Lipovská claims Mlynář was interested in who is poised to be the new director of the Czech Television, Mlynář accused Lipovská of manipulating the public about the content of their meeting.