Martin Schulz, a former journalist and commentator with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Czech Service, has passed away. He was 66.
Over the last decade, Schulz worked as a commentator for Czech Radio Plus and contributed to the Decin Daily newspaper, writing articles about Czech politics and international affairs. He had also worked for Czech TV. He wrote with a strong moral sensibility, often using expressions like "truth and justice."
In the 1980s, Schulz, who had emigrated to Munich, worked for RFE. He returned to the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution.
Schulz came from a long line of journalists beginning with his grandfather, and was the son of renowned RFE Czech Service commentator Milan Schulz. While pursuing broadcasting, he also reportedly dreamed of a career in film. He told an interviewer, "I thought [Munich] was just a temporary stop on my way to the United States. This was my goal and my dream, I wanted to be a film maker. I wanted to shoot films both brilliant and creative."
Schulz had a number of jobs during is life, including briefly as a mayor in the North Bohemian village of Doubice, as a driver's assistant, and a stagehand, and had never studied because of prohibitions under the Communist regime.
About journalism, he said, "I sometimes think that doing this job has a point, at other times I feel greatly depressed, as if I attributed to journalism a superior power. And I am not an investigative journalist. I simply have an opinion, I simply want to express my views about something."
Adapted from reports published by Czech Radio and Decinsky denik.