ICSJ students won an award for their open letter to Czech newsrooms, which started an important media debate

Students of the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism (ICSJ) of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University have been awarded the Prize of the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports for an extraordinary act of students demonstrating civic bravery, responsibility or dedication. Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Mikuláš Bek presented the award to student representative Miroslava Sloupová on 19 November 2024 at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague. The entire group was also represented at the event by Michaela Šedinová and Tomáš Zemánek.

The award was given to them by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Czech Republic for an open letter addressed to Czech editorial offices, which pointed to the lack of ethical standards in the media coverage of the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts on 21 December 2023. Within a single day, the letter was signed by more than 1,000 students and graduates from universities across the Czech Republic, not just media majors. The letter, written by the students on the night immediately after the shooting and published the next day on the ICSJ's Media website, received media attention, support from the professional and lay public, and kicked off a wide-ranging discussion about the responsibility and ethics of the Czech media.

The open letter was a response to the students' unsuccessful attempts to enforce ethical principles in their own newsrooms while covering the tragic shooting, as well as to the problematic attitudes of the Czech media in general. "As journalism students and future generations of journalists, we are appalled by the attitude of some newsrooms. We believe that in many of them the code of ethics has been violated and the media has been shown to be a mere source of income, not an information service," the letter reads. The founding members of the initiative include Miroslava Sloupová, Michaela Šedinová, Aneta Lakomá, David Sokol, Františka Rohlíčková, Martin Klouda, Adéla Šponerová, Adrian Kovalik, Daniela Kopřivová, Magdaléna Kohoutová, Tomáš Ratner and Tomáš Zemánek.

Thanks to its significant media coverage and the debate it provoked, the letter subsequently prompted the domestic editors to reflect on their work to date. The critical voice of the students led to increased demands on the quality of media coverage and inspired reflection on the ethical principles that journalism should adhere to. In the responses that came in the form of thousands of supportive emails and social media shares, people expressed hope in a new generation of journalists for whom ethics and media responsibility play a key role. "We try to guide our students towards the social responsibility that the journalism profession entails. It's one thing to learn the basic principles and skills in school, but it's another to use them properly at a critical moment, and in this case they have succeeded," says the head of the Department of Journalism at ICJS doc. PhDr. Alice Němcová Tejkalová, Ph.D.

The ensuing debate, organized by the students under the auspices of the ICSJon 24 January 2024 at the Václav Havel Library, brought together experts in security and psychology with editors-in-chief of leading Czech media and provided a much-needed reflection on current standards of journalism and social responsibility of the media. The event also brought positive visibility to journalism and the social sciences as such, which have been criticised by parts of society. In addition, the students continue their outreach activities by establishing a platform, Journalists to Journalists, to further develop and connect the journalism community through discussions, outreach activities or workshops.

However, due to the conservative management of some editorial offices at the time, the students found themselves in a situation where their courageous performance endangered their further professional advancement. However, the students perceive their professional and civic responsibility and are convinced that open discussion is the way to better quality and higher credibility of Czech journalism. "I am extremely appreciative of the strength of our students and graduates and their courage to speak out at a crucial moment and defend the right positions, even if they are personally uncomfortable. I feel obliged to once again express my respect and thanks to them for this," says the director of the Institute, Jakub Končelík, PhD.

More photos from the ceremony

Photos: MŠMT, archive of students of ICSJ