The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

Poland's new government gains power to replace public broadcaster leadership, and journalists are dismissed

PolandRSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

Weeks after winning power, Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party passed a law letting the treasury minister directly appoint and dismiss the heads of public radio and television, and dozens of journalists at the public broadcaster were subsequently dismissed or resigned.1234

What happened

Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party won parliamentary and presidential elections in 2015 and, within weeks of taking office, passed a "small" media law, signed by President Andrzej Duda on December 31, 2015, giving the treasury minister power to appoint and dismiss the heads of public radio and television broadcasters directly, without the previously required independent broadcasting council process. Reporters Without Borders said the law "gave the ruling party close control of the public media." Under Prime Minister Beata Szydlo's government, dozens of journalists and executives at the public broadcasters TVP and Polish Radio were dismissed or resigned in the following months, part of what one former colleague called a "political cleansing" that began at the top and moved through the ranks, affecting first "journalists and editors of news and current affairs programmes." RSF said firing "experienced journalists whose professionalism has never been disputed violates a democratic society's rules and threatens press freedom," and that the changes "helped precipitate Poland's rapid fall" in its press-freedom rankings.1234

What reason was given

Stated justification

The government did not offer an individualized public justification for each dismissal in the sources reviewed; a former colleague of those removed described management as seeking staff viewed as ideologically reliable rather than only professionally qualified.1234

What changed for reporting

RSF said the dismissals of experienced, professionally undisputed journalists violated "a democratic society's rules and threatens press freedom" and "badly hurt the quality of public radio programmes," contributing to Poland's fall in press-freedom rankings.23

Timeline

2015

31 December 2015
Poland's new government gains power to replace public broadcaster leadership, and journalists are dismissed

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Andrzej DudaenforcedPresident of Poland
Beata SzydloorderedPrime Minister of Poland

Sources

  1. Unjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster archived copyReporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01, reporting. Source record
  2. Poland's political cleansing of journalistsIndex on Censorship, 2016-05-01, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. A December 2015 law gave the ruling party close control over appointments at the public broadcasters.A law adopted in December of that year, over the objections of many international organizations including RSF, gave the ruling party close control of the public mediaUnjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01.Claim 285, checked 2026-09-22.
  2. RSF said the dismissals of undisputedly professional journalists threatened press freedom.Firing experienced journalists whose professionalism has never been disputed violates a democratic society's rules and threatens press freedom.Unjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01.Claim 286, checked 2026-09-22.
  3. RSF said the dismissals hurt public radio's quality and contributed to Poland's fall in its press-freedom index.These policies have badly hurt the quality of public radio programmes and have helped precipitate Poland's rapid fall in RSF's World Press Freedom IndexUnjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01.Claim 287, checked 2026-09-22.
  4. A former colleague said news and current-affairs staff were the first dismissed in the reorganization.The ones to bite the bullet first were journalists and editors of news and current affairs programmesPoland's political cleansing of journalists, Index on Censorship, 2016-05-01.Claim 288, checked 2026-09-22.