The investigative video project PastVina, which originated under the auspices of the non-profit organization Hlídač státu, announced on July 13, 2026, the termination of its activities in its current form. The editorial team, consisting of Zuzana Černá, Václav Hnát, and David Macháček, who moved to the project after leaving Czech Television, cited the loss of a key financial source as the main reason. This source was supposed to cover costs during the period until the project became fully self-sufficient.
The project focused on field journalism, political polls, and uncovering opaque management. According to the editorial team, PastVina succumbed to an unfavorable economic situation, not a lack of audience interest.
“It all started more than a year ago. There was great interest, Pastvina grew successfully. But the problem arose when it became clear that we had lost a key source of support that we had counted on to bridge the period until full financial self-sufficiency,”
the authors state in the official announcement.
During its year-long existence, the project covered several widely publicized cases. Among the most significant outputs were the uncovering of the management of the Czech Rowing Association and criticism of Petr Fiala's government's approach to enforcing subsidies from the Agrofert holding. The editorial team also focused on the ties of political actors, including the business activities of Radim Fiala (SPD), the Chinese contacts of Renata Vesecká (Motoristé sobě), and events at the Sion school associated with the ANO MP. In addition to investigative journalism, the creators also produced the satirical show MimoŘádka and the data format Kontrollka in cooperation with Data Times.
The future of the editorial team remains uncertain. Although the authors declare their interest in continuing this type of journalism, they do not yet have specific engagements.
“We certainly don't see this as proof that doing this most complex journalism makes no sense. It makes huge sense! And we will try to do it again. Where, when, and with whom? That is a question we don't have an answer to ourselves yet,”
the PastVina team added.
As a thank you to existing supporters and subscribers, the editorial team has decided to make all content on the Herohero platform freely available. The current supporter, Hlídač státu, which was at the project's inception, will continue its activities, but without a direct connection to the PastVina editorial team.