Slonková deserved better

Less than a month after Pavel Šafr raised a minor ruckus by telling Respekt that Sabina Slonková had been in the pocket of Andrej Babiš for more than a decade, Slonková was unceremoniously "resigned" yesterday as editor-in-chief of MFD. Her sudden departure, after just six months on the job, raised speculation about the real reasons, but few asked the obvious question: Was she any good at her work? Even more so than in other markets, there is a strong belief in Czech journalism that an investigative reporter with Deep Throat contacts necessarily knows how to write; that a writer knows how to be an editor; that an editor knows how to be an editor-in-chief; and that an editor-in-chief knows how to be a publisher. Often, though, the Peter Principle is in play, and the journalist advances to the level of his or her incompetence. We've heard all kinds of stories about Slon­ková's axing, but we have only one steadfast belief: After the way Slonková and MFD helped prepare the groundwork for Babiš's hostile takeover of ČEZ, she deserved better treatment.