“This is an unacceptable violation of the law,” emphasized Maciej Świrski, Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), in response to Polish Television (TVP), currently under liquidation, blocking other broadcasters’ access to the upcoming presidential debate. According to Świrski, the entire situation “resembles a media cartel conspiracy, with the active participation of the public broadcaster.”
The presidential debate is scheduled to take place on May 12 on TVP, which is presently undergoing liquidation. The public broadcaster is legally obligated to conduct this debate. However, it appears that it intends to do so in violation of the law—by refusing to grant transmission rights to stations outside the so-called media cartel.
The Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, Maciej Świrski, has responded to this decision. In a formal statement, he expressed strong opposition “to the unethical and unlawful actions of Polish Television, allegedly in liquidation.”
“Such close coordination between TVP and commercial broadcasters (Polsat and TVN), to the exclusion of other television stations operating on the Polish market, resembles a media cartel conspiracy, with the active involvement of the public broadcaster,”
he stated.
He emphasized that “the Polish audiovisual media regulator does not consent to such lawlessness.” – “This is an unacceptable violation of the law—both of citizens’ right to equal access to information and of journalists’ right to report on significant public events. The Constitution and the Press Law are unequivocal on this matter,” he noted.
“The threats made against me concerning potential prosecution before the State Tribunal will not deter my efforts to restore the rule of law in the Polish media landscape. Citizens have the right to free and unrestricted access to information, and journalists have the right to fair and unimpeded access to materials and the production of news services,”
emphasized the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council.
He added, “I remind the TVP company, allegedly undergoing liquidation, that restrictions on access to information—reminiscent of the communist era (PRL)—are long gone.”