Poland: head of public television dismissed
In a surprise move, the powerful head of the Polish Public Television station TVP, Jacek Kurski, has been given his marching orders. Critics accuse Kurski of having turned the station into a PiS government mouthpiece. But commentators doubt whether his successor, Mateusz Matyszkowicz, will be any more pluralistic in his approach.
Kaczyński still number one viewer
Tygodnik Powszechny finds it unlikely that much change under the Kurski's successor:
“Mateusz Matyszkowicz seems to be the exact opposite of Kurski - modest, reserved, quiet. ... But in his first statement as the new president he wrote: 'One of the great successes of the previous board of directors is to have created a strong and stable TVP. My goal is to continue to make the right decisions for the company.' ... That's probably the best answer to the question of whether anything will change in TVP's programming with Kurski's departure. Such a 'strong and stable' propaganda machine will not be allowed to falter. It will continue to show what the most important viewer, Jarosław Kaczyński, wants.”
Tailored to the government line
Interia looks back at the restructuring of the state broadcaster:
“A long time ago, Jarosław Kaczyński drew up visions of a 'pluralistic' public television network. One channel should be in the hands of the government, the other in the hands of the opposition. Years later, it turns out that Kaczyński's plans never provided for an independent media. The politician never dreamed of anything like a Polish BBC. After 2015 the original plans were also abandoned. The public media were taken over, journalists who failed to understand the government's motto of 'good change' were fired or had to leave. And Jacek Kurski was appointed president of TVP.”