Hundreds of Polish journalists sign open letter defending TVN and media freedom

More than 260 journalists and editors from some of Poland’s biggest media outlets have now signed an open letter in protest against the actions of the government which “undermine” the independence of the TVN network.

In the letter, they criticise the actions of the United Right coalition, pledge to protect media freedom, and call for an intervention from international public opinion.

The letter follows acceptance by the parliament’s culture and media committee of a controversial bill submitted earlier this month by Law and Justice (PiS), the dominant party in the ruling coalition.

The legislation would prevent media outlets from being owned by entities from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), and is seen as being aimed at the American-owned TVN, the biggest private broadcaster in Poland, whose broadcasting licence has not yet been renewed.

The government “stands in contempt of the rights and fundamental democratic values of the European Union,” the letter reads.

“Neutering TVN and subordinating it to the state is to be one of the final stages of taking control of one of the last institutions that holds the country’s authorities accountable and defends such democratic values as transparency, tolerance, and equality before the law.”

The signatories, who include including the editors in chief of newspapers and magazines Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Newsweek, Polityka, Press, and the OKO.press news website, add that the ruling party’s attempts to “take over the media” are reminiscent of the communist period and show that “history comes full circle”.

They warn that “we do not want to live in a world where truth cannot be heard”.

“If the government puts a gag order on a broadcaster simply because it finds its reporting unfavourable, the same fate will await the rest of the free media. We cannot afford to lose this fight. It would be a defeat for democracy in Poland.”

PiS “has repeatedly attacked TVN for reporting abuse of power and standing in defence of democratic values,” they note. “Public and pro-government media have stigmatised TVN journalists and conducted a propaganda campaign against the network.”

A full translation of the letter is available here, and the list of signatories can be seen here.

PiS reject the criticism of the bill, presenting the planned change as “merely tightening the law”, which will allow it to get rid of “dangerous loopholes”.

“As a parliament we can’t be guided by hysteria, but rather by the wellbeing of the state,” said Joanna Lichocka, a PiS MP and member of the National Media Council, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). The new law will prevent “unfriendly actors” such as China or Russia from entering the Polish media market, she argued.

Poland’s state broadcasting regulator has long been warning of the flaws in the current regulations, according to its chairman, Witold Kołodziejski. “It is an unfortunate coincidence” that the current proceedings are taking place at a time when TVN’s licence is due to be renewed, he claimed, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza.

However, the proposed bill has already stirred international tension.

“The extension of the concession for the broadcaster is a priority for the USA,” Derek Chollet, counsellor of the United States Department of State, told Rzeczpospolita. “The future of fundamental values is the core of the Polish-American alliance”, he added, and both US president Joe Biden and the American media are following the issue closely.

The proposed legislation is being seen as another step in PiS’s attempts to “repolonise” and “nationalise” Polish media. In March, Polish state oil giant Orlen purchased Polska Press – a media firm that owns hundreds of local newspapers and websites – from its German owner, Verlagsgruppe Passau.

Early this year Poland’s government unveiled a proposed media tax which would introduce a levy on advertising revenue of television and radio broadcasters, print outlets and internet media companies.

In response to the proposal, numerous Polish TV and radio stations as well as news portals fell silent for a day joining a blackout protest.

Since PiS came to power in 2015, Poland has fallen every year in the annual World Press Freedom Index, reaching its lowest ever position of 64th this year.

Main image credit: Maciek Jaźwiecki/Agencja Gazeta