The second episode of the podcast Rušičky is here. Oldřich Bruža, Director of the Department of State Strategic Communication at the Office of the Government, admits in it the uncertain future of the strategic communication department after the elections. Together with communication consultant and expert Barbora Petrová, he reminds listeners that the system was not invented by Fiala’s government, but was signed into existence by Andrej Babiš back in 2021. Why has what began as a necessary defense against disinformation from the East turned into a political battleground?
You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, YouTube , or your favorite podcast apps. The podcast is being recorded in collaboration with the platform FocusOn..
What Exactly Is Strategic Communication? Oldřich Bruža explains it simply: “It’s a kind of alignment between words and actions so that the citizen receives unified information. Ideally, it should be clear and understandable.” It is, therefore, coordinated communication from the state toward both its own citizens and foreign audiences. Petrová adds that strategic communication is “any communication that has a strategy—we have data, planning, clear goals that we continuously measure and evaluate, and we know the target groups we’re addressing.”
But it’s not just a theoretical discipline. In an era when the Czech Republic faces cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and hybrid threats from the East, strategic communication takes on a highly practical role. “Strategic communication is very much about security. We see what’s coming from the East—it’s a huge challenge for our society,” says Bruža, referring to the current security situation.
One practical example is the fight against scam schemes citizens receive via SMS or WhatsApp. “If citizens were getting an information campaign, an explanation of what to do—that not everything that comes to your phone or every WhatsApp message starting with ‘Mom, this is my new number, send me money’ is safe,” Petrová suggests as an example of strategic communication in action.
Foltýn and the Visibility of Stratcom
One of the most controversial figures in the entire field is Otakar Foltýn, the government’s strategic communication coordinator, who has become a highly visible media personality. Bruža comments: “I shouldn’t be a media star as the head of a department. I should be the bureaucrat who sits at the Office of the Government, a civil servant.” He speaks diplomatically about Foltýn: “What he definitely did well was sparking the debate that strategic communication even exists.”
The question remains whether it’s right to build the brand of strategic communication through independent channels and podcasts. Bruža admits he has received “so many contradictory recommendations—some people say you shouldn’t be visible at all, others say you need something like the Ice Bucket Challenge.” The decision to create the podcast was partly about transparency: “Everyone talks here, saying we’re putting labels on things and can’t explain anything to anyone.”
Both key figures in strategic communication come from a military background, which is no coincidence. “Strategic communication began during World War II in the UK because it was necessary to send a strategic message to both the public and the Germans,” explains Bruža regarding the field’s historical roots. NATO also plays a key role, with its manuals defining the principles of strategic communication.
The department doesn’t function as an independent actor but as a coordinator. “Our department doesn’t put its own label on everything. We’re meant to be the state's coordination tool, engaging actors who have already long existed,” says Bruža. He gives examples such as working with the Ministry of Agriculture to communicate about foot-and-mouth disease or with the Ministry of the Interior to warn about scam campaigns.
Emotions vs. Facts
One key question is whether state communication should evoke emotions—given that the most successful disinformation campaigns rely heavily on them. Petrová is clear: “We definitely need emotionally driven communication if we have goals like increasing trust, respect, pride, or a sense of belonging. These are all emotions we aim to influence.” She adds: “It’s a myth or falsehood that people make decisions rationally—we always decide first with our emotional brain.”
Bruža adds a practical point: “If someone says, be dry and just inform the citizen, I say, then publish a press release and hope the citizen finds it—which doesn’t work.” In today’s world of short attention spans, where TikTok decides interest in seconds, communication must be engaging.
Knowing your target groups is essential. “There are so many types of citizens, personas, individual target groups—a university student experiences something completely different than a new mother, a businessperson, or a senior,” Petrová explains, outlining the task’s complexity.
Politicization and the Future
Strategic communication has become a target of opposition criticism, which labels it as government propaganda. Bruža responds factually: “Not once has the Prime Minister or a minister come to us and said, ‘You have to do this, it’ll help us in the elections.’ Not once has that happened.” He also points out that strategic communication is not an invention of the current government—already in 2017, a national security audit stated that the Czech Republic needed a strategic communication system. In April 2021, Andrej Babiš signed the National Strategy for Countering Hybrid Threats, which stated that the Czech Republic would build such a system.
Still, the future of the field is uncertain. Bruža is realistic about the strategic communication system’s survival after the next elections: “My priority is that the system survives the elections. I’d give it a 50/50 chance.” Petrová is more optimistic and believes it will “survive in some form,”but adds that it would be crucial “for the strategic communication plan to be something approved by both the government and the opposition, to provide stability for these activities.”
One of the problems is a lack of transparency. “There is no central place where citizens can find information about what strategic communication is and how it works,” Bruža admits. He promises an information campaign to explain what strategic communication is—and isn’t—especially clarifying that it’s not propaganda or political marketing.
Strategic communication by the Czech state thus remains a divisive topic. For its supporters, it’s a legitimate tool for defending democratic values in an age of hybrid threats. For its critics, it remains a suspicious tool of government propaganda. The truth likely lies somewhere in between—it is a necessary tool for a modern state, but its impact depends entirely on who uses it and how.
You can listen to the full interview as a video or a podcast.