Final Word from Thursday, May 3, 2018

The CR dropped 11 notches in the latest World Press Freedom Index, but it's still in a respectable 34th place. It is seven spots behind Slovakia, although journalist Ján Kuciak was murdered there in what was widely thought to be a work-related contract killing. The write-up explaining Slovakia's 10-point drop is more drastic than the one for the CR, yet the CR fared worse in the index in terms of both its point drop and its final rating (although Slovakia's relative drop from No. 17 to No. 27 was greater). This is strange, because the two media markets are similar in terms of the much-criticized ownership concentration in the hands of oligarchs. The Czech and Slovak media in fact share at least three such groups (Agrofert, J&T, Penta). What is it, then, that makes the Czech media so much less free? The fact that one of these oligarchs is the PM? Or perhaps that the political and business opposition to this oligarch did a better job of lobbying the index organizers? [Czech Republic journalism Reporters without Borders]