10/07/2006

Polish television under attack by Poland ' s Government.

Warsaw, Poland October 4, 2006. The Polish Government is attacking Poland's private television station TVN 24 with accusations of it being influenced by the Polish Military Intelligence Services. The attack comes after TVN 24 aired tapes showing what many consider to be political corruption on the part of the Polish government. See English Translation of Tapes

The attack against TVN 24 was launched by an article that was published in a newspaper friendly to the Polish Government, right wing Gazeta Polska which article claimed that Milan Sobitic, Program Secretary of TVN 24, was an agent of the Polish Military Intelligence Services.

This was followed up by a publicly televised press conference held by Marek Kuchcinski, head of the ruling coalition party Law and Justice parliamentary club, at which press conference he accused TVN 24 of being under the influence of the Military Intelligence Services and demanded that TVN 24 admit it is the mouthpiece of the opposition party Civic Platform.

In a later television program, Teraz My, whose hosts made and aired the tapes that have embarrased the Polish Governmentt. Jacek Kurski was interviewed by the journalists who made the tape. He advance the attack by saying that Milan Sobitic was in fact an agent of the military intelligence services and that Milan Sobitic had been terminated from his position at the state-owned television program TVP after he attended what Kurski termed as an infamous drunken party held by a a Mafia group known in Poland as the Pruszkow Mafia.

The journalists of the newspaper printed the article claiming that Milan Sobitic is an agent of the Military Intelligence Services, right wing Gazeta Polska are under fire themselves from other journalists. On a late-night television program they were called to task for printing an article that was devoid of anything specific other than broad allegations that Milan Sobitic was cooperating with the Military Intelligence Services.

Journalists agree that if the allegations proved to be true, it may spell the end of TVN 24. And they also agree that if there is no foundation in the charges, this matter will end up in the courts.

In any case, it is now a battle between a private Polish television station and the Polish Governemnt. Only one will survive. The winner will determine the future of information dissemination in Poland.

Source: masterpage.com.pl



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