Eugeniusz Smolar, analyst and member of the Council of the Center for International Relations, writes in “Gazeta Wyborcza” about what the new government should do with public media. The former journalist emphasizes that the priority should be “developing financing sources and institutional solutions that would eliminate or at least limit the direct influence of politicians.” Eliminate or limit the influence of politicians? This is not what Donald Tusk’s government has in mind.
“We need to rebuild public media”
Smolar himself emphasizes from the very beginning that it will be difficult to recruit personnel who “would be able to act in the name of the greater public interest and would not yield to external organizational, programmatic or personnel pressures.”
Despite everything, public media must be rebuilt. Nothing will replace them, despite the achievements of TVN, TOK FM, independent press or online platforms
– writes Smolar.
The author takes the BBC as an example, where he worked for more than twenty years. Smolar explains what he believes makes the BBC a medium worth following in building new public media, and also writes about the mistakes journalists make in Polish media. The former journalist also presents five steps that need to be taken to “build truly public media in Poland.”
Only then can the new public media play the necessary and desirable integrating role. They belong to all Polish women and men, including those many millions whose values and beliefs are far from those of the winning coalition.
– Smolar emphasizes.
Therefore, they too must find content close to them and their exponents in public media programs, but this time without aggression. Pluralism is a value in itself because it rationalizes public debate and stabilizes the democratic political system, taking the fuel away from xenophobic populists
– he adds.
Smolar emphasizes that “it is necessary to drive away those who may once again think that they have taken power forever.”
Will Smolar’s article reach the opposition politicians who are already preparing to attack the public media? This can be doubted. Especially since the findings of the wPolityce.pl portal show that Tomasz Sygut, who is considered the man of Rafał Trzaskowski and Cezary Tomczyk, is preparing to take over as president of TVP. These are probably not the shots Eugeniusz Smolar writes about.
READ MORE: OUR NEWS. We reveal the most hidden secret of the Civic Platform. Tomasz Sygut was appointed president of TVP
kk/”Gazeta Wyborcza”
Source: wPolityce