Mailbox
Today in Mailbox: comment from a long-time listener from Sweden, listeners' response to Czech Television’s decision to apologize to President Václav Klaus for broadcasting footage of the president warming up ahead of his New Year's address, a new quiz question for February. Listeners quoted: Henrik Klemetz, J.P. Maher, David Eldridge.
As the deadline for your competition answers expired only yesterday and some last-minute answers are still coming in due to the time difference, we will postpone the announcement of the winners until next Sunday. Still, I won’t leave you without a new quiz question today, though that’s not on the agenda until the very end of today’s Mailbox.
On the subject of our monthly competitions, last month’s winner, Henrik Klemetz from Sweden sent us this comment after he received his prize along with a booklet prepared for Radio Prague’s anniversary:
“To an old-timer who visited Prague in 1967 and used to listen to Radio Prague in Swedish in the 50’s and 60’s, this booklet is thoroughly interesting... Propagation conditions are a bit disappointing these days, and so I am checking out two or three language versions of your web page every week. The site is intelligently devised, and so without loss of precious time I can usually find something to arouse my interest, either related to today’s news or the rich cultural heritage of Bohemia and Moravia.”
Thank you for those kind words. We are always interested in listeners’ feedback as well as the listening conditions in your area.
Two weeks ago we quoted a listener’s comment on Czech Television’s decision to apologize to President Václav Klaus for broadcasting footage of the president warming up ahead of his New Year's address. Our listener wrote she found the story about the “unauthorized" video “rather upsetting in a country where journalists consider themselves a free press”. I encouraged you then to send us your views on the subject, so let’s hear a couple. This one is from Prof. J. P. Maher from the United States:
“Stephani Shelton is attacking one of Europe's rare independents. She should offer her services to propaganda outlets DW, VOA and RFE. Does Shelton publish her rough drafts? Does Radio Prague make it a regular practice to broadcast rehearsals and out-takes? Of course not. Rehearsals are meant to be private. Like cinema and other art they are not public performances.”
“Stephani Shelton is typically using the term ‘free press’ in the American context where the word ‘freedom’ is used as a propaganda word devoid of any real meaning. What is that ‘freedom’? Freedom to exploit, freedom to kill, bomb and maim, freedom to enslave? In certain contexts journalists have responsibilities. If they are employed by a public media broadcaster a journalist has the task of presenting issues objectively, not just from one side or from the personal point of view of the journalist...
“...I do recall Ian Duncan-Smith, when he was leader of the British Conservative Party forgetting to draw the curtains to a room in which he was rehearsing a speech. His actions were caught by outside journalists and this episode was used by his opponents to make him look ridiculous and was considered to be one of the sparks that forced his resignation. The point is, depending on the context of the filming of President Klaus, such reporting may not have innocent and objective intent.”
Your views and comments concerning our broadcasts as well as life in the Czech Republic are always welcome, so please keep them coming. The address will follow shortly. And as I promised, here is a brand new quiz question for you.
In February we are looking for the name of the outstanding Austrian-American mathematician, logician and philosopher who was born in 1906 in the Moravian city of Brno and died in 1978 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Please send us your answers by the end of February to [email protected] or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague, Czech Republic. Next week we will reveal the identity of January’s mystery man and announce the names of the four winners of last month’s quiz who will receive small gifts for their correct answers. Until then, thanks for listening and good-bye.
