Final Word from Monday, May 29, 2006
Politicians are the ones whose necks are on the line in the elections this week, but the polling agencies and the newspapers they are associated with will also have a lot at stake. Právo reported that ČSSD has suddenly overtaken ODS by a margin of less than one percentage point. This could help tilt the election in ČSSD's favor. MFD, in contrast, reported on its front page that ODS has a 6-point lead. LN and HN, to their credit, gave equal treatment to the two polls. To some readers, leftist Právo and rightist MFD will appear to be manipulating public opinion by highlighting only the poll results that suit their partisan preferences. There's nothing wrong with a newspaper endorsing a political party on its editorial page, but if the favoritism is blatant on the news side, it makes readers wonder what personal or business interests the newspaper has riding on the outcome of the elections. [Czech Republic Lidové noviny Hospodářské noviny MF Dnes survey SC&C Factum Invenio]