海角大神

Poland鈥檚 diverse media is being quieted. A US-owned TV network may go next.

When journalist Jacek Pa艂asi艅ski moved to Warsaw about 15 years ago in the heyday of private Polish television network TVN, Poland was laying down the foundations of a diverse media landscape.

鈥淭he atmosphere was phenomenal,鈥� says Mr. Pa艂asi艅ski of the network鈥檚 TVN24, Poland鈥檚 first native news channel. 鈥淲e had a sense of mission; we were creating this station for society. It was a dream place to work.鈥�

The mood has changed.

Today, TVN is in the crosshairs of the Polish government, dominated by the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), which came to power in 2015. A media reform bill 鈥� under consideration this week by the Senat, Poland鈥檚 upper house of parliament 鈥� would ban foreign possession of media, like TVN鈥檚 U.S.-based ownership. Dubbed Lex TVN, it could force the network to divest its ownership and cost the TVN24 news station its license.

鈥淭he media law is directed against TVN; there is absolutely no doubt about that,鈥� says Mr. Pa艂asi艅ski, now retired after hosting his own show on TVN for 15 years. 鈥淣ow at TVN24 there is this terrible focus on not saying one word too many. There鈥檚 a lot of self-control; everything has to be documented from three sources because of the political pressure.鈥�

Poland鈥檚 dominant party has spared no effort whittling down a once-robust media landscape. After consolidating its control of the state broadcast media, PiS has embarked on a campaign of 鈥渞epolonization鈥� of private media using licensing laws, tax legislation, and attacks against journalists. The prospect has raised fears that Poland is trying to mimic the media market capture strategies pioneered in Vladimir Putin鈥檚 Russia and polished in Viktor Orb谩n鈥檚 Hungary.

The Discovery network is fighting back by setting up a presence in the Netherlands and vowing legal action based on a 1994 U.S.-Polish bilateral investment agreement. With an estimated worth of over $1 billion, the network represents the single largest U.S. investment in Poland, a NATO ally, and it offers a worldview that sharply conflicts with that of the right-wing government. Removing it would lessen scrutiny on the government and deliver a blow to the opposition.

鈥淭his is a key pillar in that media ecosystem, so if it can fall to government meddling and interference then essentially any other outlet can fall,鈥� says Jamie Wiseman, advocacy officer at the International Press Institute in Vienna. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also backed by U.S. money, which is incredibly influential in the country, so if PiS can succeed here, then no other independent media is safe.鈥�

A stronghold for independent journalism

Popular with youth and educated elites in the larger cities of Poland, TVN programming offers a socially liberal worldview and 鈥� crucial to the functioning of a democratic society 鈥� shells out government criticism. There is no shortage of polemic topics to address. Poland is at odds with the European Union over LGBT issues, rule of law, and press freedom.

鈥淭he group鈥檚 encrypted satellite TVN24 channel has become one of the last strongholds for independent journalism and a forum for the opposition,鈥� says Tadeusz Kowalski, a journalism professor at the University of Warsaw.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the one major place where Poles can still access critical coverage and hear the views of opposition politicians and parties, can see investigative reports that wouldn鈥檛 be reported by pro-government media, and can hear about government scandals,鈥� concurs Mr. Wiseman of the International Press Institute.

Contrast that with the evolution of Poland鈥檚 public broadcasters under PiS. Previous governments 鈥� on both sides of the political spectrum 鈥� had influence on the聽public broadcasters鈥� political leanings, but state media professionals could uphold journalist standards. Not anymore.

When former public TV presenter and journalist Maciej Or艂o艣, travels to smaller towns, government supporters still ask him where they can watch him now. The answer is online 鈥� one of the few spaces where independent media still thrives in the Central European nation that has taken a nose-dive in press freedom rankings.

After working for 25 years at the public television network TVP, Mr. Or艂o艣 now runs his own programs on YouTube and Facebook. Relinquishing the spotlight, he explains, was a decision driven by his refusal to be an instrument of government propaganda that has become so aggressive it reminds him of the communist era.

鈥淚 did not think that we would ever experience such manipulation in the democratic Poland, which is a member of the EU,鈥� Mr. Or艂o艣 says. 鈥淲hat happens in the public media is ... scandalous ... sowing the language of hatred, deepening divisions in the society, not applying journalistic principles.鈥�

Media freedom advocates and political analysts agree with him that TVP became a government mouthpiece spouting the conservative values of the PiS. Under its governance, Poland fell from its highest ranking 鈥� 18th 鈥撀� in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index in 2015, to 64th out of 180 countries last year.

鈥淭hese ideas and values are in short: God, honor, homeland, Catholic faith, Catholic church, family,鈥� explains Mr. Or艂o艣, who left TVP in 2016. 鈥淸And there is] the national, patriotic theme: saying that we Poles are great, important, and nobody will tell us what to do, especially not the EU.鈥�

That narrative creeps into the entertainment on TVP as well. Invited to participate in TVP鈥檚 鈥淭en to One鈥� quiz show,聽Adam Mi艣kiewicz, a young engineer, wore a small pin on his jacket with a heart and a rainbow flag 鈥� symbol of the LGBTQ community, which has been subject of a government crackdown.

He says he was pressured to remove it on the dubious grounds that the pin could be interpreted as advertising for the Polaroid company. 鈥淚 took off the pin, because the atmosphere was getting unpleasant,鈥� Mr. Mi艣kiewicz says. 鈥淭here is a kind of pre-programmed attitude among TVP employees that there are things that absolutely cannot be aired, such as the LGBT symbol.鈥�

Mr. Mi艣kiewicz says he and his friends tune into TVP only to laugh at the government propaganda. But the anti-LBGTQ rhetoric aired on public media has taken a heavy toll on his personal life. His parents, both PiS voters, are still struggling to accept his sexual orientation.

鈥淭he PiS message they succumb to is that homosexuality is the destruction of the family,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f an equality march is shown on television, it is shown through the prism of nude perverts who want to terrorize鈥� and sexually abuse children, he says. 鈥淢y parents have never been to [an equality] march; they don鈥檛 see what it looks like, [so] they succumb to this message.鈥�

What鈥檚 next?

The media reform bill has sparked dozens of protests and become a flashpoint of political debates 鈥� even splintering a minor partner from the ruling coalition. And even if it is passed, it is not clear that it aids in bolstering the protections cited to justify it. Backers say it will make the nation safe from foreign influence and disinformation, pointing to the threat of Russia and China (even if a U.S.-owned channel is most impacted).

But 鈥渢here are already many other safeguards that guarantee this safety,鈥� says Kuba Kary艣, a leader of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), a聽pro-European-values civic group. 鈥淚f TVN constituted a threat to the safety of the state, it would have its license revoked. This is purely a political fight.鈥�

鈥淭his argument follows the basic populist rhetoric about external enemy and internal elites used by PiS since the presidential campaign in 2015,鈥� says Joanna Maria Stolarek, director of the Warsaw office of the German think tank Heinrich-B枚ll-Stiftung.

The successful passage of the bill is hardly assured. The Senat is expected to object to the media bill and 鈥� more crucially 鈥撀燩iS-endorsed President Andrzej Duda has suggested he would veto the bill. PiS, according to analysts, could cobble together enough votes to override the Senat if the bill returns to the lower chamber. But it lacks the supermajority needed to override a presidential veto.

鈥淚f the bill is blocked even now Law and Justice will be looking for another pretext to silence the independent media,鈥� warns Mr. Pa艂asi艅ski.

Mr. Kary艣 is more optimistic, noting that the fate of TVN has triggered a wider debate about press freedoms, sparked protests in over 100 cities, and brought opposition parties together. The battle is nothing short of existential.

鈥淭he world is woven of narratives. 鈥楽omething that has not been said does not exist,鈥欌�� he says, quoting Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk. 鈥淚f we deprive people of information that is important for political and social life, they will cease to exist.鈥�