FOTP 2013 Full Report

operating at the national level: one public—Czech Television, with four channels—and twoprivate—TV Nova and Prima TV. The switchover to digital broadcasting in June 2012 resultedin a more diverse media sector, featuring the launch of several new television channels.Most electronic media outlets are privately owned, and they generally convey diverseviews without fear of government or partisan pressure. Media-related legislation includesminimal ownership restrictions, and none on foreign ownership. Media advocates have expressedconcern, however, that while public media are widely respected, their financial sustainability isbeing undermined by tighter control of public funds and increasing restrictions on advertising.Observers also point to a decline in the depth and quality of reporting in Czech news media, withweak accountability among the tabloids in particular, which have gained popularity at theexpense of the traditional press. This problem is most acute in the media’s portrayal of theRomany minority, who are often depicted as criminals or “unadaptables.”The internet continues to develop rapidly, with 75 percent of the population enjoyingregular and unrestricted access in 2012.DenmarkStatus: FreeLegal Environment: 2Political Environment: 5Economic Environment: 5Total Score: 12Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 10,F 11,F 11,F 13,F 12,FFreedom of speech is protected in Section 77 of the constitution, and the government generallyrespects this right in practice. However, legal restrictions exist for libel, blasphemy, and hatespeech. In April 2012, the Supreme Court acquitted free speech advocate and former newspapereditor Lars Hedegaard of making “insulting or degrading” statements about the treatment ofwomen in Muslim societies. The statements were made on a private video that had beenpublished on a blog without his knowledge. The judgment stressed that Hedegaard was onlyacquitted because he was unaware that the offensive statements would be made public.According to the public prosecutor’s office, more than 50 people have been found guilty ofviolating the hate speech clause of the criminal code since 2000.The 1985 Access to Public Administration Files Act permits any person to request publicdocuments located in an administrative file and requires authorities to respond to requests in atimely manner. If the request is expected to take longer than 10 days to process, they mustexplain the reason for the delay and provide an estimated response time. In 2012, a proposedrevision to the act came under fire from journalists and freedom of speech advocates. It wouldintroduce disclosure exemptions for documents prepared to advise ministers as well asdocuments exchanged between ministers and members of parliament in connection with laws orpolitical processes. Critics said this could cloak much of the country’s top-level decision makingin secrecy.143