In brief

• According to ZEIT ONLINE, a large demonstration took place in the Czech Republic against a reform of public media, which participants considered a threat to media freedom.
• According to Denník N, tens of thousands of people protested at Letná in Prague against the plan to abolish license fees and move the financing of Czech Television and Czech Radio to the state budget; the protesters fear politicians' influence over the media.
• According to HNonline.sk, the rally was called by the association Milion chvilek; the organizers demand withdrawal of the project and a public apology, and if there is no reaction, they announce further protests. Prime Minister Babiš denies that the change threatens the independence of the media.
• According to Європейська правда, protesters blocked neighboring metro stations, and the government, supported by the SPD and the Motorists party, accuses the media of bias; the coalition supports the project to abolish the 205-crown license fee, which passed a preliminary vote.
• According to the same source, employees of Czech television and radio organized a one-day strike.

German press

According to the German ZEIT ONLINE, a large demonstration took place in the Czech Republic against a controversial media reform, which participants described as a threat to media freedom. The report is headlined „Sorge um Medien”, meaning concern about the media. (Sorge um Medien: Großdemo gegen umstrittene Medienreform in Tschechien – ZEIT ONLINE)

Slovak press

According to the Slovak Denník N, tens of thousands of people are protesting at Letná in Prague against the plan of Babiš's government to abolish license fees and move the financing of Czech Television and Czech Radio to the state budget. Protesters fear that politicians will gain influence over the media, and one participant from Ostrava, Bohdana Miketová, according to the Denník N portal, fears that this change may be only the beginning. (Státisíce ľudí protestujú na Letnej proti Babišovej vláde. Obávajú sa, že médiá sú len začiatok – Denník N)

According to the Slovak daily HNonline.sk, demonstrators defending public media gathered at Letná in Prague on Sunday, and the rally was called by the association Milion chvilek. The organizers demand withdrawal of the government project changing the financing of Czech Television and Czech Radio, as well as a public apology, and if there is no reaction, they announce further protests. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, as HNonline.sk reports, denies that the change in financing threatens the independence of both media outlets (Ruky preč od médií. Protestom na Letenskej pláni v Prahe podporujú demonštranti verejnoprávne médiá – HNonline.sk).

Ukrainian press

The Ukrainian Європейська правда reports that on Sunday in Prague, tens of thousands of Czechs took to the streets in protest against the government's plan to reduce fees for public media and redirect these funds to the state budget. According to the same publisher, protesters blocked neighboring metro stations, and the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, supported by the ultra-right SPD party and the Eurosceptic Motorists party, accuses both private and public media of bias. According to the source, the coalition supports the project to abolish the monthly 205-crown license fee, which passed a preliminary vote, and employees of Czech television and radio organized a one-day strike (У Чехії десятки тисяч протестувальників мітингують проти плану уряду скоротити фінансування ЗМІ – Європейська правда).

Read also

• Co inni piszą o Czechach – 26 października 2026
• Co inni piszą o Czechach – 3 listopada 2026