By boycotting TVP, PO politicians are harming themselves. But can they be banned?

Civic Coalition MPs do not accept public media invitations. The boycott announced by Tomasz Lenz a week ago will last until March 19, 2023, so one more week. Extended boycotts, or no boycotts at all, simply do not pay off for politicians. It’s like they want to bully their grandma (maybe the one with the mohair beret that PO politicians detest so much) and freeze their ears.

sh.p. Do not accept public media invitations (national and regional) until the end of next week (March 19)

— such a request would be made to parliamentarians by the head of the KO club, Borys Budka. The content of the message includes “GW” and the portal Onet.pl.

Borys Budka and other PO politicians (and not only) know that TVP simply cannot be underestimated, because it is a channel to reach voters. A longer boycott would only affect the ratings of the PO. So it was decided to boycott the show. Where do you get that confidence from? From experience of other parties.

When the PO announced a boycott of TVP in 2018, the proposal to replace its place in current affairs programs with the SLD was accepted (New Left was not there yet). At that time, the party was outside parliament and hardly anyone thought that the left wing would return to the Sejm. However, in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the SLD won more than 12 percent of the vote. votes, 49 seats and so the Alliance returned to the Sejm as the third force. No party has ever been able to get out of the Sejm and return to it before. I am not claiming that it is solely due to the fact that the SLD took advantage of the media boycott by the PO and voluntarily went to the public media. At that time, the leaders of this group traveled through Poland and held hundreds, if not thousands, of meetings with Poles. However, the return to TVP certainly affected the election result. Politicians from the Left or PSL know this very well, because some of them have announced that they simply will not participate in the boycott announced by the PO. For example, politicians from the PSL or the left appeared on the Friday program “Forum”, and earlier on “Mimienna 20”, understanding that you cannot turn your back on voters.

Włodzimierz Czarzasty was asked by the NaTemat portal why politicians should be present in the public media in July 2022. When asked whether the co-chair of Nieuw Links likes to go to the public media, the answer was:

I think if you’re a politician you should go to public television, whatever you think of it. Everyone understands that – there is no party that would not appear there. I still remember the meeting with SLD activists in Wągrowiec. That was several years ago. The atmosphere is good, I do what I can to get the company moving, I dance, sing, jump, try to squeeze tears, and at some point someone asks: “Mr. Chairman, why are you not in the media?”. A little surprised, I answer that I was there: yesterday, the day before yesterday … But there are more such voices. At this point my old head kicks in: I ask those watching TVN24 to raise their hands. Nothing. Then I say: Polsat News. Three hands up. “So what are you looking at?” – I’m asking. “Public television” – reported Marshal Czarzasty.

Therefore, whoever boycotts the public media is hurting himself. But can Borys Budka be banned for doing this? And let him freeze his ears.”