Final Word from Tuesday, August 2, 2005
If anyone best represents the dumbing down of the Czech media, other than Vladimír Železný, it's perhaps Petr Šimůnek. He's a talented journalist who's eager to give the people what they want, whether as deputy editor of MF Dnes, as host of an interview show on F1 radio, or as on-again, off-again host of TV Prima's Sun. political debate. And what many people want is scandal. ("Premier Paroubek, have you ever been unfaithful to your wife?" "Cardinal Vlk, if you didn't practice celibacy, would you be attracted to women or men?") Šimůnek is now being considered for the editor post at HN. It's a serious business paper in an inevitable slump. Increasing HN's entertainment factor - with more human-interest stories - might indeed help build brand loyalty. But an unmodified version of the "Petr Principle" at HN isn't what readers want and would be the death of that fine newspaper.[Czech Republic TV Nova Peter Principle Hospodářské noviny MFD journalism Miloslav Jiří]