On March 6, the National Broadcasting Council announced that it had imposed a fine on TVN in connection with the reportage “Bielmo. Franciszkańska 3” by Marcin Gutowski. Information was provided that “TVN SA violated Article 18(1) and (2) of the Broadcasting Act by broadcasting the program entitled ‘Bielmo. Franciszkańska 3′”. The chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, Maciej Świrski, called on TVN to stop broadcasting the material and imposed a fine of PLN 550,000 on the station.
The Tax Office entered TVN
The institution explained its decision by the record number of complaints received by the National Broadcasting Council after the broadcast of the reportage. “6,058 speeches were registered (e-mails, forms from the website, applications via the ePUAP platform and letters sent by traditional mail). These speeches contained 39,613 signatures of citizens expressing their opposition to the content of the program,” we read in the statement.
In the justification for the decision of the National Broadcasting Council, it was emphasized that the journalist’s material was based on unverified documents, and its creators showed a lack of objectivity, used manipulative techniques in the material and relied on rumors. “No in-depth research was carried out, no events were linked, and the entire narrative was adapted to the previously stated thesis. Analysis of the material showed the presence of content in the program that was contrary to the law and social good, harming religious feelings, in this particular case of Catholics, and disinforming public opinion. When issuing the decision, , the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council emphasized that media freedom and freedom of public expression are not limitless,” the institution claims.
TVN did not agree with the allegations and did not pay the fine. The editor-in-chief of TVN24 and “Fakty”, Michał Samul, claims that such a fine “harms the freedom of the media and is an attempt to introduce censorship. The financial penalty for TVN24 is another attempt to intimidate our and many other editorial offices. It poses a threat to the viewers’ right to information.” Świrski did not give up and announced that he had decided to collect the debt.
The tax office entered TVN. As the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council announced on social media: “The Budget Department of the National Broadcasting Council informed me that yesterday a fine of PLN 550,000 from TVN SA, collected by the Tax Office, was transferred to the KRRiT bank account.”
What is the report “Bielmo” by Marcin Gutowski about?
Marcin Gutowski, in his reportage “Bielmo. Franciszkańska 3”, presented evidence that was supposed to confirm that in the years 1964-1978, the Metropolitan of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, covered up the pedophilia of priests subordinated to him.
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.
