The culture minister in Poland announced on Wednesday that he will liquidate its publicly-owned state television radio and news agency under the guidance of newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk in response to being denied funds for a liberal public media takeover, Reuters reports.
Tusk took power over the country with his pro-European Union coalition in the middle of December, transitioning from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that governed for the last 8 years. Swiftly after taking office, Tusk moved to shut down opposition media outlets by taking 24-hour news channel TVP Info off the air. His culture minister, Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, dismissed the heads of state TV and radio the next day.
This new announcement furthers Tusk and his government's apparent push for censorship of conservative messaging and comes after Polish President Andrzej Duda vetoed a 2024 budget bill on the grounds that it would allow the new government with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to buy up three billion Polish Zloty ($762 million) worth of public media.
"There cannot be consent to this in view of the flagrant violation of the Constitution and the principles of a democratic state of law," Duda stated on X. "Public media must first be repaired reliably and legally,"
Sienkiewicz retorted in a statement on X: "Due to the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland to suspend financing of public media, I decided to put into liquidation the companies Telewizja Polska SA, Polskie Radio SA and Polska Agencja Prasowa SA."
"In the current situation, such action will ensure the continued operation of these companies, carry out the necessary restructuring and prevent layoffs of employees in the above-mentioned companies."
Tusk took power over the country with his pro-European Union coalition in the middle of December, transitioning from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that governed for the last 8 years. Swiftly after taking office, Tusk moved to shut down opposition media outlets by taking 24-hour news channel TVP Info off the air. His culture minister, Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, dismissed the heads of state TV and radio the next day.
This new announcement furthers Tusk and his government's apparent push for censorship of conservative messaging and comes after Polish President Andrzej Duda vetoed a 2024 budget bill on the grounds that it would allow the new government with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to buy up three billion Polish Zloty ($762 million) worth of public media.
"There cannot be consent to this in view of the flagrant violation of the Constitution and the principles of a democratic state of law," Duda stated on X. "Public media must first be repaired reliably and legally,"
Sienkiewicz retorted in a statement on X: "Due to the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland to suspend financing of public media, I decided to put into liquidation the companies Telewizja Polska SA, Polskie Radio SA and Polska Agencja Prasowa SA."
"In the current situation, such action will ensure the continued operation of these companies, carry out the necessary restructuring and prevent layoffs of employees in the above-mentioned companies."
