New Polish government liquidates all state media for restructuring
Following the elections in October, the new pro-European Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his alliance partners took over the government in Warsaw two weeks ago. The opposition and non-governmental organizations had repeatedly accused the previously ruling PiS party of increasingly restricting media freedom during its eight years in power, channelling considerable financial resources into the state media and turning them into mouthpieces for right-wing nationalist government propaganda.
In 2020, the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found that one-sided reporting and "hate speech" were commonplace in the state media in Poland. The state media had been turned into "government propaganda mouthpieces". In its 2023 report, the organization noted that the PiS government was also increasingly trying to bring private media under its control.
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- The newly appointed Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, is of European origin and his alliance partners assumed control of the government in Warsaw two weeks after the October elections.
- The PiS party, the previous ruling party, was frequently criticized for restricting media freedom during its eight-year tenure, utilizing significant financial resources to influence state media and propagate right-wing nationalist messages.
- In 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that state media in Poland often displayed one-sided reporting and "hate speech," transforming it into a platform for government propaganda.
- Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, a prominent figure in Polish journalism, has been vocal about the suppression of media freedom under the PiS government and its attempts to control private media.
- The new government, led by Tusk, has initiated the liquidation of all state media for a comprehensive restructuring, seeking to reestablish media independence and prevent propagandistic manipulation.
- The Polska Agencja Prasowa, Poland's state media agency, has been included in this liquidation process, aiming to return journalism to its professional role as watchdog and provider of unbiased information.
- The opposition, non-governmental organizations, and the international community closely monitor the restructuring process and the efforts of the new government to ensure a more open and democratic media landscape in Poland.
Source: www.stern.de
