Public media reforms and parliamentary scrutiny in Poland
Courts reforms and the future of public television were central topics discussed by Polish political figures. Łukasz Rzepecki, an advisor to the President, urged the creation of mechanisms to restore public television to Polish viewers. Marek Sawicki, deputy head of the PSL-TD club, stressed that resolving disputes over public media would require a consensus committee capable of drafting a comprehensive reform of the judiciary.
The issue of public media dominated Saturday’s broadcast of Breakfast in Trójka on Poland’s third program, with Rzepecki asserting that the government had acted in violation of the law.
Rzepecki accused the administration of constitutional breaches and described the media situation as anarchy. He argued that public television had been forcibly seized, depriving millions of Poles, especially the elderly, of access to channels like TVP Info. The speaker added that President Andrzej Duda remained open to cooperative solutions.
He called for urgent mechanisms to restore public television to viewers’ sets, underscoring the need for a prompt solution.
There is no justification
Krzysztof Bosak, deputy chairman of the Sejm for the Confederation, contended that the appropriation of public media by the ruling party did not justify acting without a legal framework. Historically, media laws were introduced when governments changed, with new majorities reshaping public media authorities through legislative channels. In this instance, the new coalition proceeded without adopting new laws, a move many lawyers warned could be illegal and could lead to the imposition of new authorities through force and without a solid legal basis. The judiciary would face a significant test to determine the legality of these actions.
Andrzej Szejna, vice chairman of the New Left, highlighted that PiS had undertaken constitutional-oversight decisions in the previous eight years that violated the constitution. He noted a period when, during a so-called “Two-Week Government,” hostility and sloppiness in public media triggered calls for action from the Sejm, which urged the culture minister to respond. While there is substantial legal debate, Sienkiewicz’s actions were seen by some as a pragmatic approach to the legal loopholes, particularly concerning the National Broadcasting Council’s authority, and the legal route for appointing media leaders. He described the situation as involving a deliberate step that challenged established procedures.
During discussions, Jarosław Sellin of the Law and Justice party recalled that under communist rule, radio and television were state property. He described the transition that began with the Broadcasting Act of 1992, which gave rise to public media as public entities rather than state organs. Since 1993, the National Broadcasting Council had the role of determining leadership for the public media, a structure that avoided direct appointments by the prime minister or ministers for three decades. Sellin suggested that the changes in recent years were unprecedented in this period.
He described the current moment as a test of institutional norms and emphasized the distinction between media as a public resource and media ownership by any single political faction.
“Nobody trusts anyone”
Marek Sawicki warned that after years of legal and judicial reforms, trust in public institutions had deteriorated. He argued that without a new round of talks and a fresh consensus committee that would map reforms from the lowest courts to the highest, the country would not progress. Sawicki acknowledged discussions with lawyers, noting that some questioned whether ministerial decisions had a full legal basis. The speaker suggested that resolution would come not only through court rulings but also through ordinary judicial processes, and stressed that the media belongs to citizens, not to any political group.
He concluded that both sides should sit down to address the standoff, emphasizing a shared willingness from the presidency to cooperate. The idea was to move beyond partisan disputes and restore the media to serve the public at large.
The Sejm adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of the rule of law and the impartiality and reliability of public media, including the Polish Press Agency. A government statement indicated that the head of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, had stepped down in accordance with the Commercial Code, and ministers appointed new heads and supervisory boards for the public media entities. The culture ministry also named new leadership for PAP, while other changes unfolded across the public media landscape. These developments occurred amid ongoing parliamentary activity and public debate about the media’s future role in Polish society.
Parliamentary activity continued at the Polish Press Agency headquarters, with lawmakers from PiS staying at the site in what some labeled a parliamentary intervention. Various political and media outlets reported on the evolving situation, framing it as a pivotal moment for Poland’s public broadcasting and judicial reform. Commentary and analysis emphasized the need for a balanced, rule-based approach to governance and media stewardship, with attention to maintaining access, reliability, and accountability for all citizens. The evolving landscape remained a focal point for observers across the political spectrum. (attribution: wPolityce)