In Strasbourg, during the European Parliament’s plenary session, a debate was held titled “Confronting False Information, Populism, and Disinformation in Europe—The Important Role of Public Broadcasters, Media Pluralism, and Independent Journalism.” PiS MEP Adam Bielan spoke during the debate.
Bielan stated: “We cannot seriously and responsibly discuss the fight against disinformation and populism in the European Union when, in a member state as large as Poland, we are facing systemic violations of freedom of speech and media freedom.” The MEP recalled that Donald Tusk’s current government forcibly took over public media, turning them into a government propaganda mouthpiece. Furthermore, as he pointed out, at the same time, those private media outlets that have the courage to hold an increasingly authoritarian government to account—such as Telewizja Republika—are, contrary to the law, facing difficulties in accessing information and asking questions, and their journalists are being excluded from official government press conferences. “It is precisely these kinds of actions in my country that raise serious concerns. They threaten the standards of media pluralism and free public debate,” he emphasized.
