Prague, Feb 8 (CTK) – The TV Barrandov private television station of Jaromir Soukup seemed to repeatedly favour presidential candidate Milos Zeman in the programmes it broadcast during the Czech presidential campaign, the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) said on Thursday.
The RRTV launched administrative proceedings with TV Barrandov over a possible violation of law.
Along with academic Jiri Drahos, President Zeman advanced from the first round of the election on January 13. He defended his post in the runoff election on January 27.
The RRTV concluded that Soukup’s political programme Arena broadcast on January 16 presented only views in support of Zeman, while the arguments of Drahos were not mentioned at all. Those who watched the programme could have received wrong and misleading information about Drahos’s stances, especially in the issues of migration and national interests, RRTV said.
According to the RRTV, this programme seemed to be biased.
TV Barrandov broadcast a special programme on the presidential election on January 22 in which Soukup interviewed Zeman. The RRTV said Soukup played the role of Zeman’s supporter rather than that of a qualified opponent.
Zeman had virtually unlimited space to present his opinions and attitudes in this programme, the council said.
