Thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague to condemn a government plan to overhaul funding for public broadcasters, which critics say could threaten their independence.

Government Plan Sparks Concerns

The plan, approved last week, would finance public radio and television from the state budget starting next year, rather than from fees paid by individuals, households, and businesses. Critics argue that this change would give the government control over the media, following the examples of populist governments in Slovakia and Hungary.

Mikuláš Minář, a main organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy group, stated, “The media don’t belong to politicians. They belong to us all, and we won’t allow them to be stolen from us.” The government plan has been criticized by international media organizations and would give the media about 15% less money than they have this year, with no guarantees of funding in the future.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.