Announcements about changes in public media are seen as attempts to reduce media pluralism in Poland. The National Broadcasting Council Chairman, Maciej Świrski, stated on Monday to TVP Info that he would oppose such moves and would use every available means to resist them.
Świrski argued that the plans supported by Donald Tusk and other party figures seeking to form a future parliamentary majority aim to marginalize the media. He described the media landscape as an uncomfortable element for them, noting that after 2015 the national media message largely went unheard by those in the political “salon.” He cited TVP’s reporting on the origins of major fortunes formed during the post-1989 economic transformation as an example.
Reflecting on the Rywin scandal, Świrski recalled how public television later presented what he described as the truth about Poland, contrasting it with accusations that Telewizja Polska is lying. He framed such claims as expressions of anger from circles that oppose the factual coverage of realities long recognized by patriotic communities.
He also warned that an attack on the media would amount to a crime against national culture, since public media serve as a carrier of national culture that is not present in commercial outlets.
Świrski emphasized that the core value of public media lies in cultural transmission, a function he argued is too costly to be profitable for commercial broadcasters. He stressed that this aspect is central to the mission of public broadcasting from a cultural perspective.
According to Świrski, the opposition’s proposed changes to the national media are illegal and any moves toward liquidating TVP or Polish Radio would require legislative amendments. He questioned whether such amendments could pass the Sejm and receive the president’s signature. He also pointed out that there is no legal mechanism in Polish law to declare laws invalid by Sejm resolutions, a fact cited in media reports about possible vacancies within the National Media Council. He warned that replacing current RMN members with appointees from the PO, Third Way, and Links would invalidate all RMN decisions since the start of its term, including licenses granted to radio and television stations. He warned that such developments would have catastrophic consequences for the media and advertising markets, forcing unlicensed stations to cease broadcasting.
Świrski noted the results of public opinion surveys showing broad opposition to attempts to liquidate state institutions. He argued that such actions would reveal a lack of political maturity and respect for the state, given the importance of a stable state in the context of European Union centralization plans.
Council objection
The chairman announced that the National Broadcasting Council would oppose any illegal moves aimed at seizing state assets by pressure groups. He called these attempts an attack on the public interest and urged those responsible for state assets in the public media to strengthen protections to prevent asset appropriation.
Świrski also asserted that the head of the National Broadcasting Council would oppose the restoration of informal censorship that existed before 2015, arguing that the media once faced an oligopoly that filtered information to suit a patriotic narrative. He added that the current announcements about changing public media threaten to suppress media pluralism across the country.
He reaffirmed his stance that the council will actively defend media pluralism and dismissed claims of a post-2015 absence of pluralism as a misrepresentation rooted in bad faith.
All statements were made in the context of concerns about the balance of power over state assets and the ongoing conversation about the role of public media in Polish society. The discussion reflects broader debates about media independence, national culture, and the accountability of state institutions in the current political climate.
(Source: wPolityce)