Getting the message across: PANEL I (16. 10. 2019)

The role of the foreign media in the build-up to the Velvet Revolution in 1989 was an important part of the dramatic events of the annus mirabilis. Through the reports and broadcasts of a small number of reporters based in Czechoslovakia, the world had an opportunity to learn about the growing resistance to the communist regime from activists, eye-witnesses and observers. From the beginning of 1989, the reporting of foreign journalists in Prague became an essential feature in the efforts of the opposition to the regime to organize and attract broader support. Foreign journalists also played an important part in covering the drama of the Velvet Revolution and conveying its significance to the Western and global audiences, and in reporting on the first steps of the new, democratic government. The special event in the Václav Havel Library brought together some of the journalists who covered the events and their memories. Program: Welcome reception at the Václav Havel Library: Michael Žantovský | Introduction: Jennifer Bachus, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Prague. PANEL I Correspondents of Radio: Jolyon Naegele, former East Europe correspondent of the Voice of America, Ross Johnson, former director of Radio Free Europe in Munich. Moderator: Jakub Szántó, former Czech TV Middle East correspondent and author.