Riding transit without paying would fall into the category of bad ideas for a crusading journalist known for exposing corruption. One like Czech TV's Nora Friedrichová, who is known for turning the spotlight on civic misdeeds. She was outted by one of her subjects after she reported, commendably, that the law practice of Tomáš Sokol is contracting with the city of Prague in a way that benefits mainly Sokol.

The firm is a contractor for Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy (DP), the city's public transportation company, and handles the collection of fees owed by riders who are caught without tickets. In this capacity, reported the fearless Friedrichová, Sokol's firm makes substantially more money than the city does.

The law firm, without addressing the question raised, promptly branded Friedrichová herself a "notorious black rider" (riding black being the term of art used in Prague for metro passengers who don't have tickets). Furthermore, the firm asserted, Friedrichová owes some 18,000 Kč ($766) in penalties, information announced with the cooperation of DP, the firm said.

Czech TV's response has been curious. It first argued that releasing such information was a violation of Friedrichová's privacy, but then agreed to have a different reporter cover the issue in the future.

The main lesson? Perhaps that Praguers are fond of farce, whether on television, in the subway or anywhere else.

Perhaps Sokol (or Czech TV?) should have considered a billboard campaign. The run-up to the June parliamentary elections has resulted in Prague getting plastered with images of earnest-looking politicos pledging peace, freedom and prosperity, often to the amusement or disgust of public transport passengers who are forced to gaze upon them while waiting for trams or buses.

In one unintentionally ironic campaign, Former Prague Mayor Jan Kasl turned his pants pockets inside out to indicate his party, the European Democrats, is not taking home ill-gotten funds from jobs on the Prague City Council. The posters were made before a court ruled April 7 that a state subsidy to political parties of 250,000 Kč per year for each member of the city council should not apply to the European Democrats because they have campaigned along with independent candidates.