Poland

Strangling Dissent

The flow of information from anyone opposing the current Polish government is steadily being limited by sometimes subtle moves and sometimes rather harsh measures. The effect can be seen in the change in news presented on the two main evening news programs – one government controlled and the other private.

Prior to the recent (fall of 2005) parliamentary and presidential elections in Poland, the government and private television stations, TVP! And TVN, were prone to present the same lead stories and one could watch both news segments to look for different information on the same subjects. But since the elections that has changed.

Since the elections the government has been putting pressure on the private press and exercising control over those press organs that are under its thumb. The moves have been slow but steady but very effective.

Reporters who were critical of the government were criticized and disciplined for presenting what the government considered biased information. A popular television political satirist was suddenly terminated because of his views of the government and government personalities. The state controlled television board was changed and stacked with government supporters. At the signing of the Stabilization pact, probably one of the most significant agreements made by this government, all media but for a Roman Catholic TV/Radio station, were excluded with the government afterwards stating that there were reliable and unreliable media. After the remainder of the media expressed their dissatisfaction with the exclusion by boycotting the ensuing press conference, the government called their actions outrageous and that there would be consequences for them. The Roman Catholic station has since seen a constant stream of high level politicians making appearances on camera.

The public television news show is now virtually free of news critical of the government . Negative or critical news is presented very blandly, if presented at all.

Classified Polnews