Tomasz Sakiewicz appeared on the air of TV Republika to comment on the record-breaking viewership of the Friday debate broadcast by the network, as well as on the scandalous preparations undertaken by TVP—currently under liquidation—for its own media event, which he contended could hardly be described as a fair debate.
The editor-in-chief, Tomasz Sakiewicz, emphasized during the broadcast that the Friday debate on TV Republika was an unqualified success for the station. He noted that the presidential candidates’ confrontation had been the most-watched campaign event in the world on that day:
“What happened during Friday’s debate was that all competition was simply crushed. Everyone was switching over to Republika. It should also be remembered that we had enormous viewership online,”
Sakiewicz stated on air.
“Kanał Zero, together with TV Republika—our YouTube channel—these two were the top livestream of any single event worldwide. Kanał Zero alone was second; we were fifth, if I remember correctly. But together, we were the number one stream globally for a single event,”
he pointed out.
The TVP Debate Behind Barricades
The presidential debate organized by TVP (currently in the process of liquidation), along with TVN and Polsat, is scheduled to take place today, May 12, at the headquarters of Polish Television on Woronicza Street in Warsaw. Although equal terms were officially promised for all 13 candidates, the event has sparked controversy from the outset—not only due to the inclusion of moderator Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, whose presence was rejected by eight campaign teams, but also because of the dubious “drawing” of speaking order, in which Rafał Trzaskowski appears as the final speaker three times.
The president of the board of Telewizja Republika responded to this situation with indignation, pointing to the orchestrated nature of the event:
“There is no worse sight than public television having to erect barricades 100 meters out to keep people away. But they are not just keeping out ordinary viewers who would like to attend and watch, but also journalists,”
commented the edytor-in-chief.
“I don’t believe for a second that Mr. Rafał is simply that lucky to draw the best spot every time. But I will ask for details. Let them show the materials, let them present the protocol,” he concluded, in reference to the “drawing” held at TVP.