The Polish Minister of Culture announced on Wednesday evening that public media considered to be a relay of the former populist government had been placed in a state of “liquidation”.
Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz motivated his decision in particular by the desire “to ensure operation and restructuring” of public radio and television and the Polish press agency PAP and “to avoid the dismissal of employees” of these companies, according to a press release published on X (formerly Twitter).
“Liquidation status can be withdrawn at any time by the owner” which is the State, wrote Mr. Sienkiewicz.
The minister’s decision comes after that of Polish President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the populist nationalists ousted from power, to veto the granting of subsidies to these media, whose management team has just been replaced by the new pro government. -European by Donald Tusk.
Shortly after the dismissal of its leaders, the broadcast of the public news channel TVP info has been suspended.
Ousted from power following the October legislative elections, the populists are protesting against these changes which they consider to be “an attack on media freedom” and refuse to recognize the new management teams of these companies.
Commenting on the minister’s decision, Rafal Bochenek, spokesperson for the Law and Justice party (PiS), said on Wednesday that it was “of a denial of any rule of democracy – of the rules of functioning of the State”.
Marcin Mastalerek, an advisor to the Polish President, declared for his part that it demonstrated “the total helplessness of the authorities, who have found no legal way to change the authorities of these companies.”
For several days, PiS party deputies occupy offices of television and PAP agencypartially blocking their operation.
During the populist nationalist party’s eight years in power, public media in Poland became a real relay of the government.
In its 2020 report, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlighted that “partisan speech and incitement to hatred” were the rule in Polish public media, “transformed into a mouthpiece for government propaganda”.