| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Berliner |
| Owner | MAFRA, a.s. |
| Editor | Robert Čásenský |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Political alignment | right-wing conservative,[1] neoliberal, pro-Civic Democratic Party |
| Headquarters | Karla Engliše 519/11 Prague |
| Circulation | 224,000 |
| Official website | http://www.idnes.cz |
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes (Today), is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic.[1] Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today. The paper is owned by MAFRA a.s., the Czech subsidiary of the German group Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei- und Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH[2] (the publisher of the Rheinische Post), that bought it from French press group Socpresse in 1994. MAFRA a.s. also owns the Czech daily Lidové noviny, the Czech edition of the freesheet Metro, the TV music channel Óčko, the radio stations Expresradio and Rádio Classic FM.
It was set up in 1945 under the name Mladá fronta as a daily newspaper for youths. During the era of socialism, Mladá fronta was the newspaper of the Socialist Union of Youth. After the Velvet Revolution, its popularity grew and nowadays it is not connected to the Socialist Youth in any way, neither in terms of organisation nor policy. Mladá fronta started out as a serious newspaper but has been slipping into a more tabloid feature, with sensationalist stories.[1] It consists of four sections, one of which contains regional content. Its orientation can be described as right-wing conservative.[1] Its circulation as of 2011 is around 224,000 papers per day[3] and as such it is one of the most popular and influential newspapers in the country.