Update - Polish television under attack by Poland's Government
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland October 5, 2006. Polish television station TVN 24 has reacted quickly to the attack by the Polish Government after the television station aired tapes of alleged political corruption. For background see Polish television under attack by Poland's Government. In a move that can force disclosure of classified information, TVN 24 took the matter to the Polish prosecutor.
The right wing newspaper Gazeta Polska had at that initially published information with accusations that Milan Sobitic, Program Secretary of TVN 24, defended its article against critical journalists who said that the accusations in the article had no factual basis. A spokesman for the newspaper said that the facts are there and the newspaper had no fears of going to court to defend itself.
TVN has taken the challenge and taken the matter to the public prosecutor.
Unofficial information about Military Intelligence Services activities are circulating after the completion of a report on the activities of the Military Intelligence Services by the Deputy Minister of Defense. The report is classified but veiled references to what is contained on the in the report dominate the Polish news rumor mill.
According to leading politician and member of the opposition party Civic Platform, Jan Rokita, the Polish Government wishes to keep this report classified so that it can leak information as it wishes and use those leaks to their own political advantage .
Gazeta Polska got its information from some source. It is suspected that information was leaked from the Ministry of Defense.
In order to defend itself Gazeta Polska is going to have to provide supporting information for the charges that it made. If it does not provide the details, it is likely to lose its case in court.
In order to defend itself, it may be necessary to have the report declassified.
Declassifying the report will lay to rest the many questions that have been raised by the existence of the report and will go along way toward settling public concerns about government interference in the press.
And it will certainly have an impact on who survives in the battle between the private Polish television station and the current Polish Government.
The report can be declassified by either the Minister of Defense or the Deputy Minister of Defense. Will they sacrifice the newspaper or declassify the report?
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