Final Word from Friday, June 16, 2006
Petr Šimůnek, editor-in-chief of Hospodářské noviny, told the Association for International Affairs (AMO) that it's harder to find a good Czech journalist than to form a new government. He was exaggerating, but he was on the mark when he said that many Czech journalists lack the basic tools of their trade. Šimůnek added that Miloš Zeman was right about some journalists, although his vocabulary - scum, idiots, morons - aren't the words Šimůnek would use. When Šimůnek left MFD to join HN, we said he represented the dumbing down of the media perhaps better than anyone other than Vladimír Železný. In nine months at HN, though, he's adapted well to his new target audience and has managed to cultivate a good group of journalists. For a while, it seemed that Právo was becoming the must-read newspaper for decision-makers, but under Šimůnek, HN is now in the lead. [Czech Republic MF Dnes journalism]