I call on the President of the Republic of Poland not to sign the law on Public Service Media governance and to uphold the independence of Poland’s public service television and radio.
The law worryingly places public service media under direct government control by giving the latter the powers to appoint and dismiss the members of the supervisory and management boards of public service television and radio. These arrangements contradict Council of Europe standards which notably require that public service media remain independent of political or economic interference.
Rushed through Parliament last week, the law has also not benefited from the public debate which is required in a democratic society when considering such important changes in the field of media freedom.