Is the balancing act of Dalibor Balšínek about to collapse?
Shortly before the world was about to end in December last year, I asked Dalibor Balšínek of Lidové noviny why his newspaper was so one-sided in its coverage of the commercial dispute between ČEZ and Czech Coal.
Is this Ladislav Kříž's new boss?
He did not reply. But six months later, I think we might have the answer. Apparently, Balšínek is to become the next head of communications at ČEZ, or so I am told.
If true -and I stress that Ladislav Kříž, head of media relations at ČEZ, has not confirmed the appointment of what would in fact be his new boss- this would be an astonishingly blunt acknowledgement of the special relationship between ČEZ and the editor-in-chief of the country's oldest newspaper.
And if true, it would certainly shed new light upon Lidové noviny’s biased and laughably inaccurate coverage of the long-running commercial dispute between ČEZ and Czech Coal, a dispute settled so suddenly in March this year.
Lidové noviny is owned by a traditional and rather small North German publisher founded in 1946 with no interest in the outcome of a commercial dispute between two Czech energy utilities.
The cause of the paper's favouritism (as shown by a startlingly foolish piece of ‘analysis’ of the dispute last November) is much more likely to have been the editor-in-chief himself. Readers will recall that Balšínek is not just the editor-in-chief: he is the general director of Lidové noviny as well. In addition, he sits on the board of the MAFRA media group, which owns the newspaper he edits. This might mean that Balšínek is a shareholder, which would suggest that his remuneration is linked to the profitability of the group as a whole.
Balšínek and his boss...
I wonder how Balšínek's editorial colleagues have been feeling about the potential conflicts faced by their boss in his various roles, in particular the conflict between the requirement to preserve the paper’s editorial independence and the requirement to make money.
Taking up a senior management position at ČEZ is certainly one way to resolve the conflict. But what a way!
Is this Ladislav Kříž's new boss?
He did not reply. But six months later, I think we might have the answer. Apparently, Balšínek is to become the next head of communications at ČEZ, or so I am told.
If true -and I stress that Ladislav Kříž, head of media relations at ČEZ, has not confirmed the appointment of what would in fact be his new boss- this would be an astonishingly blunt acknowledgement of the special relationship between ČEZ and the editor-in-chief of the country's oldest newspaper.
And if true, it would certainly shed new light upon Lidové noviny’s biased and laughably inaccurate coverage of the long-running commercial dispute between ČEZ and Czech Coal, a dispute settled so suddenly in March this year.
Lidové noviny is owned by a traditional and rather small North German publisher founded in 1946 with no interest in the outcome of a commercial dispute between two Czech energy utilities.
The cause of the paper's favouritism (as shown by a startlingly foolish piece of ‘analysis’ of the dispute last November) is much more likely to have been the editor-in-chief himself. Readers will recall that Balšínek is not just the editor-in-chief: he is the general director of Lidové noviny as well. In addition, he sits on the board of the MAFRA media group, which owns the newspaper he edits. This might mean that Balšínek is a shareholder, which would suggest that his remuneration is linked to the profitability of the group as a whole.
Foto: Lidovky.cz
Balšínek and his boss...
I wonder how Balšínek's editorial colleagues have been feeling about the potential conflicts faced by their boss in his various roles, in particular the conflict between the requirement to preserve the paper’s editorial independence and the requirement to make money.
Taking up a senior management position at ČEZ is certainly one way to resolve the conflict. But what a way!
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