Self-censorship and self-interest are old friends.



Last week, the editor-in-chief of Lidove noviny, Dalibor Balsinek, was dumped by Andrej Babis, the paper’s new owner. He has been replaced by Istvan Leko of Ceska pozice which, though formally owned by Leko, is funded by Babis.

Balsinek’s departure was long overdue. Lidove noviny’s coverage of mismanagement and abuse in the Czech energy sector under his editorship set a new standard in self-censorship in the local media. How predictable, then, that on the day he left Mafra, Balsinek was spotted having lunch with Martin Roman’s favourite lawyer cum lobbyist, Radek Pokorny. Perhaps they were discussing a sinecure for Dalibor? Perhaps he will join Martin Kocourek, the former CEZ supervisory board chairman, at Pokorny’s pet lobbying firm, Merit Government Relations?

Self-censorship is not, of course, a frailty peculiar to the Czech media. In the same week that Balsinek was removed, a reporter for Bloomberg News, Michael Forsythe, was fired after he was suspected of having leaked allegations that his editor-in-chief had killed a year long investigation into financial ties between the Chinese Communist Party and one of the country's tycoons.

Bloomberg's decision to self-censor is said to have been caused by fears that publication of the story would have led to the firm's expulsion from China. An earlier article by Forsythe about the family wealth of Xi Jinping, now general secretary of the Communist Party, had apparently hurt Bloomberg’s business in China after party officials ordered state enterprises not to subscribe to the US firm’s financial products.

Self-censorship makes good commercial sense in the short term. Like so many Jewish jokes, the "I know it's Moses and you know it's Moses, but business is business" joke illustrates best the happy relationship between self-censorship and self-interest.

In the case of Forsythe, his story seems to have been spiked because the management reckoned that the commercial damage it would have caused Bloomberg was likely to be far greater than the reputational damage to the media group that is now ensueing -such as this animated video of Forsythe being silenced by Bloomberg bosses in Tiananmen Square tanks.

Lidove noviny's unctious coverage of CEZ under Roman and Daniel Benes was clearly driven by commercial considerations. Balsinek was a board member of Mafra as well as being chief editor of the paper.

But never mind Balsinek. More to the point is how his successor will behave. Istvan Leko, Lidove noviny's new editor-in-chief, and his counterpart at MF Dnes, Sabina Slonkova, are both highly regarded investigative journalists. We must assume that their tolerance of self-censorship is likely to be low, not least because, unlike Balsinek, who doubled up as editor and manager, Leko and Slonkova will be responsible for the editorial side of the business only. Commercial considerations should not come into it for them - which is just as well given that the proprietor of the newspapers they will now edit is both a powerful local businessman and a powerful local politician.

Consider the galloping conflicts of interest that would overtake the 100 per cent owner of the Agrofert Group and Mafra if he were ever to become finance minister, or even if his political movement were to enter the government without him.

Can we now expect Mafra’s new editors-in-chief, armed with a new, Babis-inspired ethical code of conduct, to expose the conflicts of interest of their new and absolute owner? Surely, the ethical code obliges them to pursue the truth, without fear or favour? Or will Mafra's management exercise self-censorship in its coverage of relations between Babis, the Agrofert group and the government, for commercial reasons?

Which brings me back to that classic Jewish joke about self-censorship and self-interest. Here it is (amended):

A group of journalists is asked by Andrej Babis who would make the best Czech finance minister, “under the political circumstances we are facing today.”

The journalist from Pravo says Bohuslav Sobotka “because he is the leader of CSSD.” Babis replies: “Well, that's a good answer, but that's not the answer I am looking for."

The Respekt journalist says Jan Mladek “because he is a senior member of CSSD, an ally of Sobotka and an economist.” Babis replies: "Well, that's another good answer, but that is not the one I was looking for."

Then Babis asks the Lidove noviny journalist who he thinks would make the best finance minister under the circumstances. He replies “Ales Michl”. Babis’s mouth drops open in astonishment. "Yes!" he says, "that's the answer I was looking for", and appoints him editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

Later, in the pub, another Lidove noviny journalist approaches his new boss and asks, "But why on earth did you say, 'Ales Michl'?" The editor-in-chief replies: "Yes, I know the answer is Babis, and you know it is Babis, but business is business."