“Propaganda,” “pure evil.” The Senate Rejected the KRRiT Report and Information on the Activities of the RMN

By Mariusz Kowalczyk, press.pl | 17 July 2023

The Senate session, which on Thursday was to decide whether to accept or reject the report of the National Broadcasting Council and information on the activities of the National Media Council, turned into an indictment of these institutions for contributing to the transformation of public media into propaganda tubes of the power camp. “You are responsible for evil, for pure evil,” said Krzysztof Brejza of the Civic Coalition to the heads of the KRRiT and the RMN. The Senate rejected the reports of both institutions.

Maciej Świrski, chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, began his presentation of the report with the caveat that it deals with activities throughout 2022, during which the previous Council’s term ended in October and the current one began.

Swirski: “Hysterical accusations”

According to Maciej Swirski’s speech, he sees a threat in the activities of the commercial media, which control and criticize the current government and state institutions. He pointed out that “some journalists and politicians in Poland can also be a source of disinformation,” the same kind that Russia uses for its purposes. “When they falsely accuse Poland of lacking democracy, violating media freedom, when they compare Poland to the worst authoritarian systems. Such hysterical and unauthorized accusations, spread both at home and abroad, damage Poland’s reputation, which has international consequences and poses a threat to the implementation of NATO’s Article 5, in case the worst-case scenario – an attack by Russia on Poland – materializes, God forbid,” Świrski warned.

According to the KRRiT chairman, “some commercial media present in Poland” are spreading Russian propaganda. He cited the 2021 refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border as an example. “At the time of the hybrid attack on Poland by Russia and Belarus with so-called “migration weapons,” which, incidentally, is still ongoing, some commercial media present in Poland and some politicians unjustifiably portrayed Poland as a xenophobic and racist country. After the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, it was apparent that these actions – I believe unconsciously – portraying Poland as a xenophobic and racist country were part of the scenario of the disinformation war against Poland,” Świrski said, calling it a “media urge. He then compared the media there to “smog,” poisoning the truth.

Krzysztof Czabanski, chairman of the National Media Council, spoke after the KRRiT chairman. He recalled that the main area of the RMN’s activity “is shaping the personal composition of management boards, supervisory boards and program boards, here with a large participation at this third matter of parliamentary clubs.”

KO Senator Jerzy Fedorowicz asked Krzysztof Czabański for what reason he dismissed TVP Chairman Jacek Kurski from his post. Czabanski replied that it was because of the overly expensive investment plans that Kurski had presented.

Evil in its pure form

Referring to Maciej Swirski’s speech, most of the senators who spoke criticized the KRRiT and RMN reports, as well as the activities of these institutions. Senator Barbara Zdrojewska of KO reported that the Senate Culture and Media Committee rejected the KRRiT report for “failing to fulfill its constitutional duty to uphold freedom of speech, the right to information and the public interest in broadcasting.” “Second, for failing to respond adequately to the deprivation of the KRRiT’s constitutional powers after the establishment of the National Media Council. Third, for failing to take action to restore pluralism in the public media and eliminate propaganda, manipulation, disinformation in public broadcasting. Fourth, ignoring the positions and opinions of the Senate on the role of the public media, and fifth, devoid of transparency and tardy procedures in the renewal of concessions. Sixth, blatant irregularities in the organization and operation of the National Media Institute.”

Unaffiliated Senator (formerly of the Law and Justice Party) Jan Maria Jackowski pointed out that Polish Radio and TVP had been taken out of the jurisdiction of the KRRiT, which had become a “decorative and facade body.” He also compared PRL propaganda from 1970s television to the present. “And now I have a question. As one watches some of the material, in some of the media, don’t we have a feeling of déjà vu?” he asked rhetorically, adding that the KRRiT should prevent propaganda in the media.

Krzysztof Brejza of KO, meanwhile, recalled his experience with TVP. “Ladies and gentlemen of the National Broadcasting Council and the National Media Council, you are responsible for evil, pure evil. Evil in its pure form,” began Brejza, after which he referred to the fact that according to the law, public media are supposed to be unbiased, balanced and present high quality, as well as respect the Christian system of values.

He turned to the chairmen of the National Broadcasting Council and the RMN: “Where were you guys when the Pegasus footage was stolen and published in a falsified form in the main editions of “News,” portraying me as an affirmative actionist? When text messages from my phone from 10, nine years ago were stolen and fictitious emails were created that I never sent, fictitious text messages that I did not send to anyone. Ladies and gentlemen, you sanctioned evil.”

“Paradigm of prejudice”

Maciej Swirski, referring to the negative statements made by the senators during the discussion, said he had the impression that “a large part of the statements are simply due to such a paradigm of prejudice.”

According to the Broadcasting Law, the National Council presents a report on its activities for the preceding year and information on the basic problems of broadcasting to the Sejm, the Senate and the President of the Republic of Poland each year by the end of May. Notwithstanding this obligation, the National Council shall submit annually to the President of the Council of Ministers information on its activities and on the basic problems of broadcasting.

The Sejm and Senate adopt or reject the KRRiT report by resolutions. The resolution accepting the report may include comments and objections. If the Sejm and Senate reject the report, the term of office of all members of the National Council expires within 14 days, counted from the date of the last resolution. At the same time, the expiration of the term of office of the National Council does not occur unless confirmed by the President of the Republic.

The Sejm has not yet taken up the KRRiT report.