Dozens of public figures protest untruthful reporting by Czech Television of 1 May events

Dozens of public figures are protesting against what they say was untruthful reporting by Czech Television of the 1 May blockade of a neo-Nazi march in Brno. According to those who have signed an open letter, the reporting “includes inaccuracies and does not report in a balanced way on both of the groups that participated or their actual intentions, distorting the truth about our participation in the ‘BRNO BLOCKS’ action.” News server Romea.cz is publishing the open letter in full below:

Esteemed Mr Roman Ondrůj, Mr Karel Novák, Mr Adam Komers, Mr Luboš Rosí,

We, the undersigned, are protesting against the reporting on the 1 May disturbances in Brno broadcast by Czech Television on the main news on 1 May 2011 and calling on you to agree to correct that report. The reporting includes inaccuracies and does not report in a balanced way on both of the groups that participated or their actual intentions, distorting the truth about our participation in the BRNO BLOCKS action.

Most of the reporting focuses on the neo-Nazi gathering, even though the gathering of those opposed to the neo-Nazis was several times larger, which should have made it more important as news. Exact quotes by specific people from the neo-Nazi gathering were used, while the blockade was spoken of in abstract terms. Moreover, the reporting completely failed to mention the expressions of moral support for the blockade made by leading Czech figures such as former President Václav Havel, Tomáš Halík, Erazim Kohák, Jan Kraus, Iva Bittová and others.

There was also an imbalance in the images presented from each action. In the images of those on the side of the Workers’ Youth, the viewer sees a range of various types of participants, but the images of those on the side of the opponents do not capture the broad age spectrum of all the participants in the blockade, including middle-aged people, senior citizens, and families with children. The footage of the Workers’ Youth gathering was taken directly from inside their event, while in the case of the blockade the viewer only gets to see footage taken from a distance. The camera crew did not visit the center of the blockade even though they had free access to it and the certainty that they would be welcomed calmly and nonviolently.

The reporting also completely misinforms viewers by creating the illusion of a clash between the two groups. The blockaders, both before the blockade and during it, clearly declared that their only aim was to nonviolently, passively prevent the course of a march inciting hatred. Most of all, our presence on the streets of Brno was simply a response to the existence of such a march!

This distorted reporting of the 1 May events in Brno has devalued our actions. We are Brno residents of various ages, religious beliefs, political affiliations and ethnic origins. Without a single act of violence, we foiled a gathering that intended to spread hatred against immigrants and national minorities. We did so in large numbers to show that terror has no place in the democratic public space.

Zuzana Derflerová Brázdová, Vice-Rector, Masaryk University, Brno

Katarína Klamková, Director, IQ Roma servis, o.s.

Petra Hlaváčková, art historian, member of the Forum for Architecture and Media association

Helena Továrková, Editor-in-Chief, TopLife magazine

Anna Durnová, researcher, University of Vienna

Ivana Fajnorová, mayor of Brno-Jundrov

David Oplatek, Director, Brno Civic Advice Centers

Martin Navrátil, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, Social Inclusion Department

Pavel Pospěch, sociologist

Jiří Honzírek, theater director, Divadlo Feste

Jakub Macek, college instructor, Masaryk University, Brno

Svatopluk Bartík, media adviser

Yvonna Gaillyová, Director, Veronica Ecological Institute

Šárka Pokorná, juvenile center psychologist

Jan Perla, Social Media Specialist, OgilvyInteractive

Jakub Navrátil, dentist

Ondřej Hájek, researcher, Natural Sciences Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno

Gábor Aver, Drom s.r.o.

Jolana Navrátilová, international liaison, Masaryk University, Brno

Zuzana Masopustová, psychologist working in counseling and research

Jan Hollan, physicist and environmentalist

Šárka Vymazalová, receptionist

Tomáš Hlaváček, student of philosophy and journalism

Václav Pecl, doctoral student of social anthropology

Lukáš Lyer, NGO employee

Jiří Harnach, lawyer

Stanislav Zajíček, middle school teacher

Vladimír Beneš, IT staffer, Red Hat Czech, s.r.o

Veronika Boxanová, student at Masaryk University

Tanja Miletić Oručević, director and instructor at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno

Kateřina Dubská, book editor

Michaela Šebestová, student, Theater Faculty, Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno

Klára Kubíčková, Culture Editor, Mladá fronta DNES newspaper

Jasna Flamiková, Director, Veronica Foundation

Tomáš Bílý, NGO manager

Adriana Zámečníková, PR and marketing specialist

Jitka Oláh, lecturer

Jiří Petrů, translator

Kateřina Pařízková, student

Vojtěch V. Sláma, photographer, chair of the Jasan civic association

Iveta Macháčková, middle school teacher

Daniela Bártová, student, Masaryk University, Brno

Ctirad Macháček, physician, Institute of Pathology, Brno Teaching Hospital

Jakub Fajnor, student, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno

Michael Kalábek, moderator, student of media studies and international relations

Alexandr Sláma, architect

Michal Kašpárek, operator of the website Brno Now

Svatava Morávková, editor

Dana Večerková, student

Karin Heřmanská, editor and translator

Veronika Bröcknerová, student of media studies and journalism

Veronika Vaňková, NGO manager

Andrei Cernauteanu, lead accountant

Eliška Marvanová

Zuzana Hlucháňová, head of the Gender Expertise Section of the Czech Green Party

Kamila Kovačíková, student

Šárka Syslová, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Studies (Sociální studií), doctoral student of sociology at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno

Anna Demchuk, student, Masaryk University, Brno

Magda Kucharičová, PR manager

Pavel Sedláček, gardener

Hana Svobodová, student, Masaryk University, Brno

Radoslava Krylová, student

Zuzana Fuksová, social worker

Dorota Lichvárová, student

Lukáš Grůza, staffer, IQ Roma servis

Vladimír Polidar, independent filmmaker

Beáta Holá, psychologist

Ondřej Hauser, graphic designer

Anna Babjárová, documentary filmmaker

Jakub Kořínek, director

Marie Laudátová, doctoral student in sociology, ad agency assistant

Tomáš Blaha, social anthropologist

Jan Kopkáš, doctoral student in sociology

Vojtěch Pelikán, student, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, editor

Anežka Švecová, student and lecturer, University of Pardubice

Josef Šmída, special officer, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs

Zuzana Odstrčilová, graphic designer

Petr Kouřil, project coordinator

Kamila Šeborová, financial officer at a children’s home

Lukáš Kala sociologist and environmentalist

Tereza Modráková, project economist

Mikuláš Černík, student

Michal Kubina, teacher

Tomáš Křemen, social services worker

Josef Kučera, student

Vratislav Bareš, psychologist

Hana Skoumalová, doctoral student in sociology

Lenka Jurnečková, food server

Jitka Sedláková, theatrical properties manager

Margita Rácová, social worker

Veronika Šuráňová, psychotherapist, head of outpatient services, PhD student at the Pedagogical Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno

Martin Boxan, director, I.E.S. Educational Center

Jan Sysel, student in the Media and Communications Department

Gábor Oláh, doctoral student in sociology at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno

Martina Čížková, recreational instructor

Dita Bezdickova, student of sociology

Vendula Krylová, student of social education, Masaryk University in Brno

Martin Maryška, PR worker

Petr Jestřábek, IT specialist

Miluše Vomelová, archivist

Zdeňka Macků, student, Masaryk University in Brno

Jorik Švanda, technician, Hadivadla

Josef Klimeš, warehouse operator

Barbora Havelková, speech therapist

Martin Jestřábek, botanist

Michaela Urbanová, student

Kateřina Klíčová, sociologist

Marta Vodičková, project manager

Marek Šimoník, planner

Josef Morávek, publisher

Hana Rambousková, coordinator, Partnership Foundation

Zuzana Lenhartová, student of psychology and journalism

Tereza Freyová, college student

Radka Vejrychová, instructor

Karel Čada, sociologist

Romana Mikulčická – student, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno

Bára Doležalová, Divadlo Feste

Lucie Heidlerová, financial accountant

Miroslava Zavadilová, managing clerk for a trucking company

Lukáš Haupt, project manager, EU Funds, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

Kateřina Ptáčková, sociologist

Martin Bernátek, student, Philosophical Faculty, Masaryk University,Brno

Pavel Nepustil, psychologist and social worker

Věra Růžičková, social worker

Jakub Černý, psychologist and counselor, Helping Hand Association (Sdružení Podané ruce)

Martin Holiš, social worker

Jana Baierová, student of sociology

Jan Michoin, student

Lukáš Helebrandt, student of Sinology, Masaryk University, Brno

Eva Fraňková, PhD student, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno

Adam Vašíček, student, Philosophical Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno

Lucie Ryšavá, student, Pedagogical Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno

Kateřina Plesková, project manager

Aleš Merenus, staff, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Radomír D. Kokeš, film scholar