Syndicate of Journalists reacts to Zeman's statements about media

Prague, March 14 (CTK) - The Czech Syndicate of Journalists is worried about President Milos Zeman having placed a substantial part of the Czech media on the same footing as organised crime and neo-Nazi commandos, it writes in a letter it has sent to Zeman.

"This categorisation of a substantial part of the Czech media is startling particularly in view of that a big majority of it, as we firmly believe, is persistently and permanently alerting to the danger tied to organised crime and its infiltration into politics as well as to the threat posed to democracy in the Czech Republic by extremist movements," says the letter signed by syndicate chairman Adam Cerny.

In his inauguration speech, Zeman ranked a substantial part of the Czech media in one of the three islands of negative deviation, saying it focuses on brainwashing, media massage and manipulation of public opinion.

The syndicate writes that Zeman may have felt offended by many a claim about him in the media particularly during the direct presidential election campaign.

"However, being a convinced democrat and devotee of quotes, you will definitely agree with Voltaire's statement "I disagree with what yo are saying, but I will be defending until my death your right to say it,' because freedom of speech and a free exchange of views, whether you may agree with them or not, is based on this principle of the French thinker," the letter says.

It says media's possible failures can be remedied on the basis of law.

It recalls that an ethics commission has long been attached to the syndicate. It deals with cases of breach of journalists' ethical code on the basis of submitted suggestions.