On Monday, June 24, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage published the assumptions of the media law. Public consultations also began on the same day. Comments on the prepared assumptions will be available until almost the end of September this year.
Changes are coming in the functioning of public media. First of all, they will be financed differently
In turn, on May 7, 2024, the European Media Freedom Act entered into force, regulating the entire media market. “The prepared assumptions are a response to its implementation and repair of the current state of public media in Poland. EMFA introduces minimum standards for the operation of public media. The aim of the regulation is to ensure access to reliable information and editorial independence of the media at the EU level” – .
“The existing financing system does not guarantee the stability of the media. We propose to abolish the license fee in favor of financing public media from the state budget. However, this does not mean the introduction of additional taxation. The assumptions are based on granting a guarantee of funds for the implementation of the public mission in the amount of at least 0.09 percent of GDP. annually,” the ministry informed.
“We propose to guarantee greater independence of the National Broadcasting Council and restore its 9-person composition, i.e. 4 members appointed by the Sejm, 2 – by the Senate and 3 – by the President. An additional element is the mechanism of rotation of the composition. While maintaining the 6-year term of office of each member of the National Broadcasting Council – every 2 One third of the members should be replaced every year,” the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage said.
Everyone can take part in public consultations almost until the end of September
The assumptions of the new media law also change the rules for appointing supervisory boards of public media. The National Broadcasting Council and the Minister of Culture and National Heritage would be responsible for their selection. “An important element is also the introduction of a two-stage competition for members of the management boards of public media companies. The best candidate would be selected by the National Broadcasting Council,” the ministry said.
The Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Hanna Wróblewska, emphasized that “public media concern each of us.” Moreover, she emphasized that the ministry’s authorities want every citizen to have an influence on the shape of the future media law:
It is not only television, but also radio and the press that influence public opinion. This is one of the pillars of democracy, which is why it is so important to create clear rules of operation and secure the independence of the media. We want to prepare the act in the most democratic way possible, which is why we decided to conduct extensive consultations on the assumptions to which everyone will be able to refer, said the minister, quoted in the ministry’s announcement.
The announcement by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage also states that public media should guarantee access to reliable information, and their mission should focus on shaping civic attitudes and disseminating broadly understood culture.
Source: Gazeta
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