Newsletter Poland: Independence of public services broadcasting under threat

New legislative changes to public service broadcasting (PSB) law allow the Minister of State Treasury to directly appoint and dismiss members of the broadcaster’s supervisory and management boards. The EFJ completed a two-day fact-finding mission to Poland by calling on Polish journalists to stand together in defense of press freedom. The IFJ and EFJ are concerned that Poland is violating European law on media freedom. The European Commission decided to launch an action against Poland under the Rule of Law framework. Ricardo Gutierrez, EFJ General Secretary, called for firm action from EU institutions to guarantee the independence of public broadcasting service in Poland. “What’s happening in Poland is not a only a Polish issue, it’s also a European issue as we must maintain a pluralistic and independent media in Europe.” said Ricardo. Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary, compared the new move of the Polish government to similar attacks against public service media in Uganda and Burundi. Read more here.