Reporters Without Border (RSF) have responded to the criticism from Poland's Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. The organization accused the minister of trying to meddle in the content-making decisions of private media. "Asking the media authority to sanction TVN and TVN24 for what they did not broadcast is clearly a politically motivated and legally unfounded attempt on their editorial decisions," the RSF said.
In early August, Poland's Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro accused TVN, a private broadcaster, of informing about the suspension of prison sentence of the 24-year-old Marika (who was sentenced for attempted robbery), but failing to report on a completely different affair, related to the court discontinuation of the case of assault and battery of an anti-abortion organization activist.
The minister argued that TVN's coverage of court decision, pertaining to "incidents motivated by ideological issues," suggested that the station was violating the rules of impartial coverage of affairs. Ziobro filed a complaint against TVN at the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT).
The Reporters Without Borders organization commented on Ziobro's decision on social media. "Political representatives of the Law and Justice government can't choose the content of the media to pursue their political agenda," RSF said.
The justice minister replied to criticism from Reporters Without Borders. "Hypocrisy without limits! It's sad to see how quickly the masks fall off for those who call themselves defenders of democracy and free speech. The RSF organization attacked me, claiming that my defense of the assaulted and beaten man and pointing out the TVN station's lack of journalistic objectivity, i.e. deliberately keeping silent about the scandal, is 'pursuing a political agenda'" - Ziobro wrote in a statement.
"Well, dear 'reporters without borders', as you call yourselves, the Polish Prosecutor General will always take the side of victims. As it was in the case of the attacked truck driver of the defenders of life," the minister added.
"We regret that Minister Zbigniew Ziobro misunderstands our concerns"
Reporters Without Borders issued a statement in relation to Ziobro's words. "RSF’s criticism is not about media content, it’s based on the Polish media law, which clearly stipulates that 'the broadcaster shapes the programme independently,'" we read.
"We regret that Minister Zbigniew Ziobro misunderstands our concerns and groundlessly accuses us of not telling the truth. Asking the media authority to sanction TVN and TVN24 for what they did not broadcast is clearly a politically motivated and legally unfounded attempt on their editorial decisions," RSF said.
"Attached to the democratic principle of media independence, RSF urges KRRiT to reject Zbigniew Ziobro’s complaint."
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RSF, Reporters Sans Frontières (French), Reporteros Sin Fronteras (Spanish) is an international non-profit organisation governed by principles of democratic governance. RSF is monitoring the freedom of the press across the world. It also reports cases of freedom of speech violations, runs campaigns in defence of journalists, writers, and human rights activists.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl