Tomasz Sygut, who last December first he became the president of Telewizja Polska, and soon after – after it was put into liquidation – the general director, he gathers around him primarily people, with whom he worked years ago at TVP. And who – like him – had to leave it when, after winning the elections in autumn 2015, Law and Justice subjugated the public media.
After eight years, they return to build TVP from scratch. They help them people brought to Woronicza from commercial television groups – Polsat and TVN.
The position of director of the Television Information Agency (TAI), which Sygut held until the end of 2015, has now gone to Grzegorz Sajór, who was the publisher of “Wiadomości” until 2016, and started his career at TVP in the 1990s.
Who will be the head of “news”
True head of the main TVP news program entitled “19.30” – which replaced “Wiadomości” – became Paweł Płuska, who joined TVN, where he worked for over 20 years, but the first one to welcome viewers in this program was Marek Czyż, returning to public television after an eight-year break. Czyż also worked with Sygut on the “24 hours” news program on Nowa TV (currently Polsat Group).
Joanna Dunikowska-Paź, currently the host of “19.30” (transfer from TVN 24), was also associated with the latter editorial office. The third host of TVP’s flagship program, Zbigniew Łuczyński, was the face of “Uwaga” on TVN for several years. Reporters include: Marcin Antosiewicz – former correspondent from Germany who returned to TVP after eight years, also returning Witold Tabaka and transfer from Polsat – war reporter Mateusz Lachowski (previously cooperating with TVN 24).
Among the people dismissed in January 2016, the following also returned: Ewa Godlewska-Jeneralska, former publisher of “Panorama”, who after returning, first performed a similar function in “19.30”, and then became the head of TVP branches in Kraków and Kielce.
“Panorama” staff
Jarosław Kulczycki, who heads the reactivated “Panorama” on TVP 2, he also had to say goodbye to public television in January 2016. He also had an adventure with the “24 hours” program. According to Press.pl, on Saturday, January 27, Justyna Śliwowska-Mróz will make her debut as the host of the Dwójka news program. She is a journalist whose image was used by Law and Justice in the campaign before the local elections in 2018, and when she sued the party for it, she lost her job. In turn, in April, Ewa Gajewska, previously associated with Polsat, is to join this editorial office, according to Press.pl.
Piotr Jędrzejek, the host of “Panorama”, is also a transfer from Polsat.
Danuta Dobrzyńska returned to “Teleexpress” after an eight-year break. She became the head of the program, whose face is again Maciej Orłości (during the PiS government, he stayed at TVP until August 2016).
Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz on TVP
The latest comeback is to join Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz to the TVP Info team. The journalist told Wirtualnemedia.pl that she is returning to TVP because “public media need to be rebuilt.”
– It sounds lofty, but it’s true. This is what we have been doing from day one, although we don’t put it into words – says Marcin Antosiewicz, who returned to TVP in December last year to work on the first edition of the new news program “19.30”, which replaced “Wiadomości”. “.
He adds that the reconstruction of public television takes place at many levels: from the workshop foundations to the statutory principles of pluralism, impartiality, balance and independence.
– We found television in total collapse and we have to create it from scratch. The shortcomings are visible at every step. For eight years, when the teams went to shoot, the only thing that mattered was that the “hundred-person” stuck to the right narrative. Nobody cared about getting a good shot or thought what it would look like, says the reporter.
– We want to make an information program for everyone – he emphasizes. – For eight years, the viewers of “Wiadomości” have been lied to and now it all needs to be undone. This is a big challenge, especially when dealing with sensitive topics – such as migration. In such a context, anything can be perceived as doing politics. For years, viewers have heard about the hordes that threaten them, and now I’m telling them about people wanting to cross the border – compares Marcin Antosiewicz.
Working conditions are also a challenge, as the new journalistic team still does not have access to the television premises at Plac Powstańców, where newsrooms for news programs were located. The core of the previous team was entrenched there.
A risky return to TVP
Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz, who was forced to leave public television, worked at “Gazeta Wyborcza” for eight years of PiS rule.
Returning now to TVP, he is taking a risk because the company’s legal situation remains unclear. The registry court dismissed the application to enter the liquidation of TVP in the National Court Register. Daniel Gorgosz, the liquidator appointed by the Minister of Culture, assures that, in accordance with the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, resolutions of the general meeting – including the one on liquidation and the appointment of a liquidator – are valid until they are repealed or invalidated by a final judgment of the commercial court. The Ministry of Culture makes a similar statement.
The majority of members of the National Media Council, who are associated with PiS, have a different opinion and chose Michał Adamczyk, former head of TAI, as the president of TVP.
What if the court decides that Adamczyk is the president of TVP?
– It is completely impossible – replies Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz. – He will probably have to pay compensation to the television station. I will not go into legal issues, the courts will decide this, but I believe that the scenario of the return of that team is unrealistic. People need to restore public media, that’s what the sovereign decided and I stick to it. Everyone saw what this horse was like. There can be no return to such hate, he says.
He emphasizes that restoring public media to society was on the program of each of the parties forming the current ruling coalition. – What is happening to these media today is an unprecedented situation. But it has to be done, normality has to be restored, you can’t bury your head in the sand, he believes.
Marcin Antosiewicz also has no doubts. – This old world is gone – he says.
Juliusz Braun, former president of TVP, who also sat on the National Media Council and was chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, is not surprised by the returnees.
– On public television, making money is not the company’s primary goal, so it is the best place to practice good journalism – he says.
He notes that TVP is now a completely different station than the one it was eight years ago. – Before it was taken over by PiS, it was rated well and inspired quite a lot of public trust. Now we need to build this trust again – emphasizes Juliusz Braun.
He adds that although the fundamental principles of journalism remain unchanged, television is a different medium than it was a few years ago. – The importance of traditional linear programs has decreased, and the importance of the Internet and materials available on demand has increased. And work methods need to be adapted to this, he says.
