by Miloš Hroch, Charles University
Twenty citizens will deliberate and propose resolutions for the future of media and democracy in the Czech Republic.
For the past few months, the team of the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism at Charles University in Prague has been busy making phone calls with people from around the Czech Republic. We are excited that the group of twenty participants who will take part in the first Citizens’ Parliament on Media and Democracy in the country is ready.
We have an active senior from the Ústí region, students from Olomouc or Budweis or a Czech Ukrainian from Liberec and more onboard – equipped to engage in discussions about entanglements of democracy and media and how these processes can be improved in the future.
What is the role of journalism? How can media be made more accessible and democratic?
Participants in the Citizens’ Parliament on Media and Democracy in the Czech Republic will reflect, among other things, on the role of journalists in times of political upheaval and dramatic change. The Citizens’ Parliament will also deliberate on how to make media more accessible or democratic. During the four meetings in Prague, Brno, Olomouc and finally again in Prague, our group of participants will formulate resolutions on several topics related to media and democracy that they agree on are most pressing.
A “health check” of the media landscape in turbulent times
The Citizens’ Parliament on Media and Democracy comes at a time when political parties, authorities, media, and journalists are facing a decline in trust. Therefore, it will be an important “health check” of the mediascape in turbulent times, when governments in countries like Hungary and neighbouring Slovakia are severely limiting free speech, independence of media and consolidating their control over public service broadcasting and when the new US presidency could strengthen similar illiberal voices in Central and Eastern Europe.
A pioneering experiment in deliberative democracy
This event will be one of the country’s first “deliberative” experiments. Unlike other EU countries, the Czech Republic has little experience with the principles of deliberative democracy, such as Citizens’ Parliaments or Citizens’ Assemblies, compared to neighbouring Poland, with thirteen local and one nationwide Citizens’ Assembly. However, the potential for counterbalancing the so-called “democratic backsliding” or “Orbánization” of Central Eastern Europe is strong, and we hope we will soon have some answers to the challenges we are facing.
More on the Czech Citizen Parliament on Media and Democracy
An article about the Czech Citizens‘ Parliament was published in the Check newspaper Deník N. (PDF)