On Wednesday, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, was to dismiss the management boards responsible for the shape of public media in Poland. As we read in the ministry’s announcement, the management boards of Telewizja Polska, Polish Radio and the Polish Press Agency lost their jobs.
The management boards of TVP, Polskie Radio and PAP were dismissed
The decision was sudden, but not unexpected. Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz was to dismiss the management boards of Polish Radio, Polish Television and the Polish Press Agency on Wednesday.
On December 19, 2023, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, as the body exercising the ownership rights of the State Treasury, which holds 100% of shares in companies, dismissed the current presidents of the Management Boards of Telewizja Polska SA, Polskie Radio SA and Polska Agencja Prasowa SA and the Supervisory Board. – announced.
This means that Mateusz Matyszkowicz (TVP), Agnieszka Kamińska (Polskie Radio) and Wojciech Surmacz (PAP) resigned from their jobs.
This is another step towards restoring the non-partisan color of the public media. On Tuesday, the government adopted a resolution on the repair of public media. Most PiS MPs who were at the headquarters of Telewizja Polska at that time did not take part in the vote. PiS is of the opinion that separating TVP and Polish media from parties is an attack on pluralism. The Ministry of Culture provided the provisions of the Commercial Companies Code as the legal basis. Reference was also made to the resolution adopted several hours earlier in the Sejm. In the statement, the ministry refutes possible arguments regarding the security measures taken by the Constitutional Tribunal almost a week ago. The security was intended to “protect” TVP and public media from the move that was made:
The security issued by the Constitutional Tribunal to Julia Przyłębska on December 14, 2023, in accordance with the written position issued by the State Treasury’s Attorney General’s Office as the body that legally represents the interests of the State Treasury, is legally ineffective and does not bind the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in any way. nor new Management Boards or Supervisory Boards of the Companies – we read in the announcement.
Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz was also supposed to appoint new supervisory boards for the entities whose management boards he dismissed.
What next for public media?
PiS politicians actively protest against changes in the partisan public media. Since Tuesday evening, they have been on duty at the TVP headquarters at Woronicza Street in Warsaw. However, Wednesday’s dismissal of the management boards in the public media may result in a series of unforeseen events. It is certainly known that TVP Info calls on its viewers and their friendly politicians to defend themselves against the “attack on pluralism”.
TVP Info invites you to a protest Photo TVP Info / staff
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
