In the Czech Republic, there is a concerning decline in quality journalism at the regional level, despite a strong tradition of local press. Commercial media with regional newsrooms are cutting down on the number of journalists, resulting in a shrinking space for local news. Municipal newspapers, published by municipalities, can be heavily influenced by current governing politicians in regions and municipalities, leading to censorship practices that paint a biased picture of their achievements and stifle criticism from opposition groups. This has resulted in municipal newspapers being filled with PR communication, with little emphasis on investigative or quality journalism.

To address this issue, Oživení conducted extensive research on the development of local media quality. The project involved gathering data from the 50 most populous municipalities in the country through the right to information, surveying 13 municipal newspaper editors, and organising a roundtable event with important stakeholders. This data allowed us to create a Policy paper with a precise description of the Czech municipal newspaper scene and the identification of best practices to tackle these issues. An example of best practice is appointing opposition members into editorial boards of municipality newspaper as it significantly increases plurality of opinions in the newspaper.