Polish public TV broadcaster stands up for journalist targeted by opposition

Politicians from three opposition parties have demanded that journalist Michał Rachoń be removed from the Woronicza 17 current-affairs programme, according to the managers of the Polish public television broadcaster’s TAI news agency.

The demand made by politicians from the Civic Platform (PO) party, the Nowoczesna (Modern) group and the Polish People's Party (PSL) is an "unprecedented" and "brutal" attempt at “open political interference in the work of journalists in Poland,” Jarosław Olechowski, acting head of the TAI news agency, has said in a statement.

He added that various opposition politicians in Poland “have repeatedly threatened TVP journalists” that reporters will lose their jobs with the public broadcaster once the opposition regains power in the country.

“TVP reporters have also been repeatedly attacked, including physically,” and “vulgarly insulted” by supporters of opposition parties, according to the statement.

“But this is the first time that representatives of the three parties … have come forward with a direct demand that a specific journalist be fired because they do not like the questions he asks them,” Olechowski said in his statement.

(gs)

Source: centruminformacji.tvp.pl