Czech billionaire accused of interfering in French magazine’s editorial work

Czech billionaire businessman Daniel Křetínský, who is the majority owner of French magazine Marianne, forced its editorial team to change its front-page headlines, according to a statement issued by the magazine’s journalists. The statement accuses Mr Křetínský of breaching rules on media freedom. However, the editor-in-chief claims that this was a standard decision made by the editorial board which accurately reflects the content and position of the magazine, the Czech News Agency reports.

The original version of the magazine cover featured a picture of both French presidential candidates’ eyes with the words “anger” under Emmanuel Macron “…or chaos” under that of Marine Le Pen. The front-page was changed to feature the words “despite the anger” under Macron’s eyes and “avoid chaos” under those of Le Pen.

Mr Křetínský’s media empire also includes the French daily Le Monde. In the Czech Republic he controls the media company Czech News Center together with Patrik Tkáč, which includes the country’s leading tabloid Blesk under its umbrella.