Final Word from Thursday, April 10, 2025
The hike in the user's fees for Czech TV and Czech Radio, which received final legislative approval in the Senate yesterday, is one of the many do-or-die changes of the current government. The coalition dropped the most-lethal part of the initial bill, which would have required the public media to "contribute to combating disinformation while respecting freedom of speech," but a sharp rise in the funding assures that the stations will continue to be on the "right side" of events. They'll have to respect the rules during the election campaign, but more important is the overall atmosphere they nurture in society. Many of the experts they rely on are products of the "deep state" that Donald Trump is taking action against and were receiving funding from USAID and other U.S. agencies. The paradox is that the more this Czech deep state shows itself in the campaign, the greater the likelihood that the next Czech government will take action against it ... unless of course the coalition manages to remain in power. [ Czech Republic Television U.S. AID United States ]
Glossary of difficult words
hike - a sharp increase, esp. in price or cost;
do-or-die - used to describe a situation in which one takes a big risk in order to avoid failure;
to nurture - to help or encourage the development of.