Changes in public media
When asked, “In general, do you support or oppose the government’s policy on public media?”, 35 percent respondents chose the answer “I definitely support it”, “I rather support it” – 18 percent chose it. “I am rather against it” is 12 percent. of respondents, “I am definitely against it” is 24 percent. 11% have no opinion on this matter. subjects.
The report shows, among other things, that taking into account socio-demographic characteristics respondents, it can be said that the government’s policy regarding public media is better perceived by people with a higher socio-economic status than by people with less education and less well-off. “It also finds slightly greater support among people under 55 years of age (especially among the youngest respondents) than among the elderly. It is also assessed slightly better by residents of large and medium-sized cities than by residents of smaller towns,” it was noted.
The report stated that “perception government policy regarding public media is determined primarily by political and, more broadly speaking, worldview orientation.” “People declaring left-wing and centrist political views have a favorable attitude towards the government’s actions, while people identifying with the right-wing have a negative opinion of them. The less frequent participation in religious practices, the more frequent the approval of the government’s actions – and vice versa. The government’s policy is quite unanimously supported by voters of the coalition parties, while supporters of Law and Justice are critical of it. Confederation sympathizers are divided in their opinions, but they are more often opposed to the government’s actions than favorable to them,” we read.
Media impartiality
In turn, to the question “Do you expect that after the changes public media will they provide more reliable and impartial information about what is happening in the country and the world, or not?”, the answer “definitely yes” was chosen by 32% of respondents, “rather yes” – 23%, 12% chose the answer “rather no”, and “definitely not” – 23 percent. 10 percent of respondents have no opinion on this matter.
The study shows that on the one hand, voters of the ruling coalition’s parties have significantly different opinions on this issue, and, on the other hand, supporters of Law and Justice. Confederation supporters are closer to PiS voters on this matter.
The “Public Media” survey was conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) between January 8 and January 12 on a sample of adult residents of Poland (N=1,000). The full report can be found on the website of the Public Opinion Research Center Foundation.
Government actions regarding public media
December 19 Sejm adopted a resolution on the restoration of legal order and the impartiality and reliability of the public media and the Polish Press Agency, calling on the State Treasury to take corrective actions. A day later, the Ministry of Culture announced that the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, as the body exercising the ownership rights of the State Treasury, acting on the basis of the provisions of the Commercial Companies Code, dismissed on December 19 the current presidents of the Management Boards of Telewizja Polska SA, Polish Radio SA and the Polish Press Agency SA and Supervisory Boards. The Minister appointed new Supervisory Boards of the above-mentioned companies. Companies that have appointed new Company Management Boards.
December 23 President Duda announced that he had vetoed the budget bill prepared by the new government, which provided for, among other things, funds for public media for the next year. As the president justified, his decision was related to a “gross violation of the constitution and the principles of a democratic state of law” in the public media.
After the presidential veto head of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage decided on December 27 to put TVP, Polskie Radio and PAP into liquidation. The state of liquidation may be withdrawn at any time by the owner – stated in the announcement of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The Minister of Culture made a similar decision on December 29 in relation to 17 regional companies of Polish Radio.
Thursday Constitutional Court ruled that the provisions of the Commercial Companies Code (CCC) on the dissolution and liquidation of a joint-stock company, understood in such a way that their regulatory scope, by virtue of the Act itself, also covers public radio and TV units, are unconstitutional. Moreover, in the judgment announced on Thursday, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the provision of the Broadcasting and Television Act excluding certain provisions of the Commercial Companies Code from applying to public radio and television units is unconstitutional.
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage announced on Thursday that the Constitutional Tribunal’s judgment regarding public radio and television broadcasting entities has no legal significance. (PAP)
Author: Anna Kruszyńska
