The image of right-wing extremism in the Czech media

Newton Media and Open Society Fund Prague have completed an extensive media analysis of the image of right-wing extremism in the Czech media. More than 31 000 media pieces from 1 July 2008 to 31 March 2010 were reviewed in order to capture how the media has reported on events related to right-wing extremism during this recent period of rising numbers of extreme-right demonstrations and marches.

The period covered coincided with the European Parliamentary and Czech regional elections, during which the extreme right campaigned for voter support. Klára Kalibová of the In Iustitia organization, an opponent of the extreme right, says the analysis is “a significant undertaking in the effort to grasp how the media reports on the extreme right.”

Media evaluations of right-wing extremism gradually changed over time, along with a transformation in the thematic structure of the reporting. While reports during the first eight months of the period under review were predominantly about extremist events and marches, after the arson attack in Vítkov more space was devoted to the topic of extremist crime and efforts to wipe out extremism.

These reports were often more neutral than negative. “The finding that 52 % of the reports were neutral during the first half of the period reviewed might be considered alarming. What is positive is that during the second half of the period under review, the proportion is reversed and 62 % of the reports are negative”, says Eva Dobrovolná of Amnesty International. “The analysis shows that the extremist groups have intentionally taken action to get media attention. They have easier access to the media than many of their civil society opponents.”

The most-covered event with respect to right-wing extremism was the arson attack on a Roma home in the North Moravian town of Vítkov. The second most-frequently mentioned item was the Supreme Administrative Court hearings on the motions to ban the Workers’ Party. The third most-covered event was the Workers’ Party demonstration in Litvínov which led to the march on the Janov housing estate in November 2008. Condemnations from national-level politicians were extensively publicized by the media after the events in Vítkov in particular and greatly contributed to the negative publicity.

Regional-level media devoted the most attention to right-wing extremism, with the most reports (print and radio) produced in the Ústí region. The Mladá fronta DNES newspaper produced the most articles on the topic. The vast majority of pieces were news reports; only 15 % were analyses, commentaries, or interviews.

The Workers’ Party achieved the most publicity at more than half of the total devoted to extreme-right organizations, primarily due to the trials on whether to ban it. Workers’ Party representatives were the names most frequently mentioned in relation to extreme-right groups and their activities. The name of Workers’ Party chair Tomáš Vandas, for example, was mentioned in every tenth report. Other party functionaries were also mentioned frequently, such as party vice-chairs Petr Kotáb and Jiří Štěpánek. One clear exception is the name of Filip Vávra, the third most frequently mentioned person. Vávra is considered the main ideologue of the neo-Nazi National Resistance organization, the second most frequently mentioned group in the media survey.