Czech Media Freedom: 10 Urgent Demands Ahead of October Elections

September 08, 2025 – Czechia –

In the run-up to the Czech parliamentary election on 3-4 October 2025, more than 20 national and international media-freedom organizations have issued a joint appeal calling on all democratic political parties to commit to ten priority measures to protect press freedom and ensure a pluralistic media landscape.

These demands are grounded in concerns over growing threats to independent journalism in the Czech Republic, including verbal and online attacks on journalists (especially women), abusive lawsuits intended to silence critical reporting (SLAPPs), restrictions on access to public information, and attempts to exert political control over public service media. Ranked 10th out of 180 countries in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, Czechia still faces serious challenges.

The ten demands include:

1. Addressing attacks on journalists through codes of conduct, investigative mechanisms, and protection from physical and online harassment.
2. Protecting media from SLAPPs by implementing the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive, introducing sanctions, early dismissal of SLAPP cases, and supporting victims.
3. Avoiding legislative measures that restrict media freedom, and consulting with journalist organisations on laws affecting the media.
4. Respecting self-regulation, avoiding lists or registers of journalists, and maintaining clear definitions of “journalist” and “publisher.”
5. Ensuring the confidentiality of journalistic sources, any surveillance of journalists should require independent judicial oversight.
6. Improving access to public information and political events; reducing fees and delays in freedom-of-information processing.
7. Protecting media copyright, especially against misuse by digital platforms and AI training.
8. Strengthening the independence and relevance of public service media through transparent nomination procedures and stable funding.
9. Ensuring a pluralistic private media market: fair advertising allocation, avoiding political influence, and transparency in media ownership.
10. Supporting media freedom beyond Czechia by protecting exiled journalists and media broadcasting into less democratic countries.

The coalition argues that endorsing these demands is essential not only for democratic integrity in Czechia but also as a model for media freedom in the region. Each political party is urged to formally adopt the ten principles as a minimum standard.

Reference – 

https://ifex.org/czech-republic-ten-demands-for-maintaining-media-freedom-ahead-of-election/

CPJ, partners urge Czech parties to commit to media freedom ahead of elections