The Development of the Media in Czechoslovakia from February 1948 to December 1950
| Pages | 53-56 |
|---|---|
| Citation | BEDNAŘÍK, Petr a CEBE, Jan. The Development of the Media in Czechoslovakia from February 1948 to December 1950. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2008, 53(1-4), 53-56. ISSN 0036-5351. Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/en/periodicals/acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-historia-litterarum/53-1-4/the-development-of-the-media-in-czechoslovakia-from-february-1948-to-december-1950 |
The year 1948 represented a turning point for the Czechoslovak society as well as its media. The media system established after 1945 was no longer fully democratic. Although censorship still did not exist, there were a number of restrictions having a significant impact on the media. A shortage of newsprint caused restrictions in the number of newspapers published. Decisions specifying which newspapers are important and which are not were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information administrated by the communist Václav Kopecký. The renewed Union of Journalists was another significant element in media control. According to law no. 101/47, all journalists had to be its members. This law turned out to be particularly important in February 1948 when the Union´s action committee expelled opposition journalists such as Pavel Tigrid or Ferdinand Peroutka, making them unable to publicly oppose the upcoming communist dictatiorship. Purges among members of editorial staffs made it necessary to educate new journalists. A number of newspapers were abolished but at the same time brand new print sizes were introduced, inspired by the Soviet Union press. In May and June 1948 the international radio exhibition MEVRO took place in Prague, introducing the public to television broadcasting for the first time.
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