Abstract
Council newspapers form an integral part of European media systems and, as such, have been analysed for their important contribution to the development of local politics. However, despite a recognition of the media’s important democratic function in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) after the fall of socialism, the consideration of council newspapers’ political role in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been largely absent in debates surrounding the development of regulatory frameworks until recently. Interestingly, debates regarding local government transparency emerged recently (2011) in the United Kingdom, resulting in the <em>Code of recommended practice on local authority publicity</em>, underscoring the importance of this issue. However, developments in the aforementioned situations demonstrate divergent outcomes in such considerations: the British addressed the causes, the Czechs addressed the symptoms, and the Slovaks have yet to make any headway. This article utilizes qualitative analysis of policy and regulation documents to compare the trajectories of media policy and regulation of council publicity in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ultimately contrasting it with developments in the UK, suggesting possible future trajectories for the development of this type of regulation in the CEE countries.
Highlights
The deputy mayor in a small Czech town stated during informal conversation that the council newspaper in the town operates as the most independent news source available to the public, suggesting its editorial independence from town hall oversight
The analysis suggests, that this development creates a unique media situation: 1) these newspapers remained owned by the municipalities during the privatization of the state media; 2) they retain close ties with local politicians in opposition to the developing media tenets and initiatives which seek to eliminate political influence in media; and 3) they are often produced by municipality officials or politicians in contrast to the principles of professional journalism which have been implemented since 1989
Council newspapers are still understood as local media, even though the analyses show their close relationship with the local politics and significant differences from the professional media
Summary
The deputy mayor in a small Czech town stated during informal conversation that the council newspaper in the town operates as the most independent news source available to the public, suggesting its editorial independence from town hall oversight. The articles appearing in this publication are often written by politicians or municipality officials themselves, leaving the editor with nothing but the singular function of collecting articles and handing them over to the editorial board the majority of which is composed of local politicians This story clearly illustrates the conundrum of council newspapers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Media and Communication, 2015, Volume 3, Issue 4, Pages 62-75 council newspapers remain an integral part of European media systems, they differ in key features from other types of media (e.g. ownership models, financing, newsroom structure, content production, relationship with local politics) This ambiguous function of council newspapers has surprisingly weathered the post-socialist transition in most of the CEE countries since 1989. The analysis will focus on the following questions: What are the nature and impact of council newspapers as media in the Czech Republic and Slovakia? Do council newspapers serve the public or special interests? Can they still be considered local media or are they rather council publicity tools? How do the developmental trajectories of media policy and regulation of council newspapers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia differ from one another when considering the media and political system transition after 1989? What may be considered “good practice” in council newspapers policy and regulation?
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