Nikita Poljakov left ECP in 2008. He studied at Charles University, UCL & LSE & is now journalist – Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Hospodářské noviny.
Nikita Poljakov was late for his talk to a group of Years 5 & 6 students, but for a very good reason. He had been recording an interview with DVTV. As a journalist – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Czech Republic’s leading broadsheet – he is a respected commentator on the country’s economy. So we were delighted when he agreed to come into school. Nikita shared his journey from the ECP to Hospodářské Noviny (HN). He was talking to current students thinking about their own future careers.
Specialise
Nikita graduated from the English College in 2008. He went to Charles University, UCL and LSE, where he studied Journalism, Political Science and International Economics. He had always known that he wanted to be a journalist, from the time that he studied English with Ms Rankin. But he soon realised that he also needed to know about a subject in depth in order to have something to write about. This led to his decision to specialise in economics. He then successfully applied for a grant from the Bakala Foundation. This brought him to the attention of HN, who offered him his first job in journalism. He worked first as a London correspondent and economic staff writer focusing on industrial sectors, private equity funds and financial groups. He is now responsible for the weekend section of the newspaper, with the responsibility of selecting what subjects are covered each week.
Solutions Journalism
Working on the weekend edition has given Nikita the freedom to explore what he calls ‘solutions journalism.’ “So much of what we read in the media is purely negative, criticising but offering no solutions. I felt that I wanted to try to have a positive influence as well as shining a light on injustice.”
A good example of this is his current project – Nejsi sám – working with his former ECP classmate, David Gaberle. The statistics for male suicide in the Czech Republic are shocking, accounting for 80% of all suicides of young men. Nejsi sám draws attention to this growing problem in Czech society and encourages young men to seek help when facing crises in their lives.
He and David, a photographer, have created an exhibition of images of men – shown through frosted glass – who have attempted suicide, but who managed, or who were persuaded, to step back from the brink of taking their own lives. “Czech men, in common with men in many other societies, find it difficult to talk about their feelings”, Nikita said. By drawing attention to these statistics, he wants to raise awareness, not only of the problem, but also of the solutions that are available to those who find themselves at such a desperate state that they contemplate suicide. Their exhibition, deliberately entitled ‘Nejsi sám‘ – ‘You are not alone’ but addressed only to a man – took place in Lucerna pasáž earlier this month.
Fake News
Nikita’s other main professional focus as a journalist has been misinformation or fake news, as it has become known. He won an Open Society award last year for his work on Russian hybrid warfare.