Martin Řezníček is a presenter and professional international correspondent from the Czech Republic. He studied mass communication and international studies at Charles University in Prague. In more than 20 years in journalism, he built his career mainly working for the BBC World Service and Czech Television as a foreign correspondent in London and then in Washington, D.C. Since 2018, he has been presenting the main news of Czech Television, where he previously also worked as an editor. He has covered many important international events and had the opportunity to meet and interview some of the most influential or well-known personalities, such as Barack Obama, Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger and Paul Ryan. About them and much more, he writes in his book Rozpojené státy: Amerika nejen televizní kamerou (roughly translated as Disunited States: America not only through a television camera), in which he shares his experiences in the US as a foreign correspondent and searches for and then engagingly illustrates the relations between the USA and the Czech Republic. 

In November 2021, Řezníček was elected as the representative of Czech Television in the European Broadcasting Union. Furthermore, he received the Ferdinand Peroutka Award (for journalistic activity) in February 2022. 

When Martin Řezníček was present in Washington, D.C. to report on the most important events and news, it is important to emphasize that this was the period when Donald Trump occupied the post of American President and American politics witnessed considerable shocking changes like never before. During the lecture, Řezníček will share more details about Trump’s tenure and provide insight into the challenges and opportunities his work has afforded him. Besides Trump, he will also share his stories about what it was like to have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with some of the aforementioned “big names.” In addition, the topic of American politics and democracy will be discussed in a broader context and with a view to the future perspective of the political sphere in the USA and the next presidential election.

In order to bring us even closer to the field of journalism and media in relation to politics, democracy and how societies are increasingly divided under the shield of populist leaders around the world, Řezníček will talk about the role of American media and explain the principles of public media in Europe. He will draw on his latest experience from the Czech presidential elections, which took place in January 2023, in which he appeared as the moderator of the main debate duel of the presidential candidates.