Rats abandon the Bakala ship
Štěpán Kotrba, a graphic designer and political analyst, wrote recently on Britské listy and Parlamentní listy that reporter Zuzana Kubátová of Aktuálně.cz had an undisclosed conflict on interest when she spoke to Czech TV on Sept. 5 about OKD mines. Her employer and OKD share a common owner, Zdeněk Bakala, but ČT didn't bother to mention this. Kotrba was correct in his observation, but the bigger issue in this particular case is that Kubátová's report was actually quite critical of her ultimate employer. She said that Bakala should put money back into the region, after taking out so much. There were also undertones of criticism of Bakala today in HN's coverage of Tuesday's protest in Ostrava. HN, which is also part of the sinking Bakala flotilla, quoted demonstrators as shouting, "Away with Bakala!" After years of denying what everyone else has known or sensed about Bakala's actions at OKD, his journalists are faced with the choice: Go down with the ship while continuing to protect their quartermaster, or try to salvage some dignity.
Glossary of difficult words
Note - Zuzana Kubátová only recently began working under Bakala (when he acquired Centrum Holdings) and has not been one of the journalists protecting him;undertone - an underlying quality or feeling;
flotilla - a fleet of ships or boats;
quartermaster - a military officer responsible for providing quarters, rations, clothing and other supplies;
to salvage - to rescue (a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo) from loss at sea; to save something from loss or destruction.