Poland's new government gains power to replace public broadcaster leadership, and journalists are dismissed
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
- Country
- Poland (RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180)
- Where
- PL
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Funding and ownership pressure
- Stage
- Pressure (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Beata Szydlo
- Issue of the day
- Law and Justice's decisive October 2015 election win and its stated aim of overhauling public institutions it viewed as insufficiently accountable to voters.
- Outcome
- Sustained, December 31, 2019. The appointment power and pattern of dismissals continued through the remainder of the PiS government's term; ownership of the public broadcasters changed only after a later change of government.
- Era
- The 2010s
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
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
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Andrzej Duda | enforced | President of Poland |
| Beata Szydlo | ordered | Prime Minister of Poland |
Sources
- Unjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster
- Poland's political cleansing of journalists
Claims cited
- 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 media
Unjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01. Claim 285, checked 2026-09-22. - 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, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01. Claim 286, checked 2026-09-22. - 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 Index
Unjustified firing of journalists from Poland's state broadcaster, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2020-02-01. Claim 287, checked 2026-09-22. - 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 programmes
Poland's political cleansing of journalists, Index on Censorship, 2016-05-01. Claim 288, checked 2026-09-22.