Announcements of changes in public media aim to eliminate media pluralism in Poland. I will oppose it and use all means to do so, National Broadcasting Council Chairman Maciej Świrski told TVP Info on Monday.
According to the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, the plans of Donald Tusk and other representatives of parties that want to create a future parliamentary majority are aimed at marginalizing the media, which is “for them an uncomfortable part of media reality”. As he explained, after 2015, the message of the national media was “unheard of” for representatives of the “salon”. As an example, Maciej Świrski mentioned, among other things, information broadcast on TVP about the sources of the largest fortunes created during the post-1989 economic transformation.
After the Rywin scandal, a glimpse of this reality was revealed, and then public television suddenly told the whole truth about what Poland was like. Statements that Telewizja Polska is lying are a certain expression of the anger of these circles when the truth is told about obvious things that have long been known in patriotic circles.
– said the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council.
Świrski also noted that an attack on the media would be a “crime against national culture” because public media is a “carrier of national culture” that is not present in commercial media.
The main value of these media is cultural transmission. It is not broadcast in commercial media because it is too expensive considering its unprofitability
– noted the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council. He added that this aspect of the operation of public media is crucial from the point of view of their cultural mission.
Maciej Świrski noted that all scenarios of changes in the national media presented by the current opposition are illegal. He emphasized that changes aimed, for example, at the liquidation of TVP and Polish Radio can only be introduced through legislative amendments.
The question is whether such changes would receive a majority in the Sejm and the president’s signature
– Świrski wondered. He added that there is no procedure in Polish law for declaring laws invalid by Sejm resolutions. According to media reports, this would make it possible to invalidate the appointments of members of the National Media Council. The places of current RMN members would be filled by new ones appointed by PO, Third Way and Links. Świrski noted that the consequence of these actions would be the invalidation of all decisions taken by the RMN since the beginning of its term, including licenses granted to radio and television stations. He stressed that the impact on the media and advertising markets would be “catastrophic” as unlicensed stations would have to stop broadcasting.
The chairman of the National Broadcasting Council recalled the results of social surveys showing that the majority of respondents were against attempts to liquidate various state institutions. According to him, attempts to take such actions despite this prove that politicians lack maturity and respect for the state.
Poland will not survive without a stable state, especially in light of the European Union’s centralization plans
– said the head of the National Broadcasting Council.
Council objection
He announced that the National Broadcasting Council will oppose any illegal activities aimed at “the desire to take over state assets by some pressure groups.”
I consider such announcements as an attack on the public interest. I would like to ask all those responsible for state assets in the public media to strengthen protection so that no attempts are made to appropriate these assets.
– added. He emphasized that as head of the National Broadcasting Council he would oppose the restoration of the system of informal censorship that existed in the media before 2015.
Let us not forget that before 2015 there was a media oligopoly that filtered information that interested people with a patriotic approach to our reality.
– Maciej Świrski noticed it. He added that “these announcements of changes in public media aim to eliminate media pluralism in Poland.”
I will oppose it and use all means available to do so. The National Broadcasting Council protects media pluralism. The accusations that there was no media pluralism in Poland after 2015 are based on bad faith.
– he emphasized.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce