Final Word from Monday, July 18, 2016
Political analyst Jiří Pehe was no doubt right when he wrote in Právo on Sat. that Interior Min. Milan Chovanec would be coming under more media scrutiny if someone other than MFD had written about his low-priced purchase of an apartment from a businessman who sells SUVs to his ministry. But who could possibly have written such a story other than Andrej Babiš's MFD or LN? Blesk, E15 or Reflex, which are controlled by the same company, J&T, that officially owns the highway-toll operator that Chovanec has been touting (SkyToll)? Czech TV, which has a direct link to Chovanec through Bison & Rose? Právo, which clearly struck some kind of deal with Chovanec to support his police reorganization? Economia, yes, did show surprising independence in questioning the police reorganization, but the reality is that it too is part of the 75% of the Czech media that have ČSSD's back when its political or economic interests are at stake. [Czech Republic Television Mladá fronta Lidové noviny PPF Kapsch]
Glossary of difficult words
scrutiny - critical observation or examination;
to tout - to attempt to sell (something), typically by a direct or persistent approach; to attempt to persuade people of the merits of;
to have someone's back - to be willing and prepared to help or defend someone.