What does it take for freedom to be silenced?
A free media may not have the capacity to prevent the emergence of truly corrupt and undemocratic regimes. But, at the same time, no such regime has a chance to survive without rendering them vulnerable and insignificant. What are the mechanisms for destroying the free media scene? And how can free media maintain their reach in hostile environments? How can I stay free and economically resilient? How can I maintain quality? Their situation may vary depending on the respective state of democracy and market, but the main challenge is universal: how do you compete with an online universe of echoing outrage and alternative facts? What are the methods of self-defense? Bad and good news from the Visegrad Four: Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Martin M. Šimečka (Bratislava), writer, journalist, author of the daily Denník N
László Szigeti (Budapest – Bratislava), publisher, essayist
Andrzej Jagodzinski (Warszaw) – journalist, translator, diplomat
Erik Tabéry (t.b.c) (Prague) – journalist, editor-in-chief of the weekly Respekt