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POLAND’S MAIN PRIVATE television channel, TVN, and radio stations went off air and newspapers blacked out their front pages today to protest against a proposed advertising tax for non-state outlets.
“This is where your favourite programme was supposed to be,” read a white message on a black background on the TVN24 news channel.
In a statement to AFP, the channel, owned by the US group Discovery, said the government proposal had “the intention of restricting their pluralism and freedom of expression”.
The front pages of dozens of national newspapers including the most widely read dailies Fakt and Gazeta Wyborcza had a message in white on a black background reading “Media Without Choice”.
Their websites were also blacked out.
Radio stations also suspended service, with Radio Zet informing its listeners that the tax would mean “liquidation for some media businesses”.
“There is no free country without independent media. There is no freedom without freedom of choice,” the radio station said.
The new tax, which is expected to take effect later this year, imposes a levy on advertising revenues of television and radio broadcasters, print outlets and internet media companies.
State media outlets would be exempt from the tax.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said the tax is part of Europe-wide efforts to tax global tech giants like Google or Facebook but many independent media outlets say they would be unfairly targeted too.
Morawiecki has said it is a “solidarity fee” that will “create better conditions for the development of free media” and help fund public healthcare and the culture sector.
But the tax comes at a time when many media companies are already hit by shrinking advertising income and a loss of revenue from other business because of the pandemic.
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Ah yes, making it harder for a free press to operate isn’t a huge red flag for a descent into authoritarianism… I think we can all recognise a BS excuse (Facebook /Google) when we hear it.
@Tricia G: they kind of gave it away when they said the tax would fund the development of a free medi, culture and HEALTHCARE. The former two sound plausible and within the industry, but by tying in healthcare, which everyone always wants more funding for, it just reads as an excuse to make the tax more acceptable to the public.
@Tricia G: doesn’t happen in the states at all does it?
@D. Memery: Not to mention that the State media gets a licence fee AND an additional subsidy of €440 Million. But sure, they need to tax private media companies on their ads to raise money for healthcare….. Hhhmmmm
When are the poles going to open their eyes and ditch an awful conservative, right wing government that’s dragging them back into the dark ages.
@Bala mc blaha: unfortunately i think poland is becoming more right wing as time goes by
@Bala mc blaha: it’s gone too far now, most people care about money in their pockets in Poland, they’ve introduced a Children’s allowance in PL and basically bought votes in the last election. That and the fact the opposition is terrible, it most likely could be PIS voted in again in a couple of years time.
@Bala mc blaha: almost half of the nation voted liberal in the last election unfortunately by a slim majority this government won.
Im surprised the comments aren’t closed!
Further and further into right wing authoritarianism
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Great day – almost like Christmas without a need to avoid TVN24 and their propaganda. By the way – how is that related to freedom of speech? Nobody told them to shut down. That is their choice and freedom they have. If they don’t like it in Poland Germans will take them with open hearts. Stop treating my country as a poor colony…
@Eric Polter: ridiculous comment. Poland is now one of the most powerful countries in Europe so hardly a colony. It has gained in being a member & it’s behaviour is less than savoury. It has responsibilities to it’s EU membership & your suggestion that people should leave if they dislike it. There’s a whiff of fascism in that remark but to be fair at least you’re not hiding it.
@Mjhint: I’m grand with your disagreement. You call it a fashism and I call it typical example of intolerrance to non-leftie perception of world. That’s the freedom of choice and beliefs. That is still the case in my country not so much in liberal Europe.
@Eric Polter: another PIS supporter that sold his soul for 500+ good luck explaining to your kids that you made their future just a little bit shitter because daddy and mommy decided that at the pols. Someone will have to pay back that debt…
@Mjhint: well said and top marks for biting your tongue
@Eric Polter: Poland has more in common with the Russian federation than the EU, I really dont understand why poland joined.
@Kasia: Maybe your children as I don’t benefit 500pln+ pysiaczku
@Eric Polter: in relation to polish & German history which you should be well aware of attitudes like “they should leave” is a position that suggests that those in Poland that agree with its government only have a say in the country is a position that has a whiff of fascism about it. That’s not a left-wing view. That’s a moderate centrist view. The fact your defense of it of claims that it’s left wing further enhances my view. Some news for you. This will not be tolerated within the EU.
I don’t like that government but a levy on advertising to fund public service broadcasting instead of a TV license is a great idea. In return RTE would have to be ad-free so they private stations could make more money. Everybody wins.
@CorkObserver: in Ireland, we are paying TV Licence, yet during a movie, you will see several adds. Hate that. But in public TV in Poland, you will see adds of course, but not during any shows. Than again, I don’t watch Polish public stations, as they are just spreading gov propaganda.
There’s a lot of money being spent by right wing elements to try to get Poland into a similar position that Britain now finds itself.
The aim is to destroy the EU and other national alliances in Europe.
The breakup of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact is still keenly felt in Moscow.
Is it me or it looks liket any news about Poland must be a bad news for left wing media in ireland. Taxes oh yes and btw people in poland do pay water charges too! no mention they are doing good with vaccinations, economy in general, oh that would not go well with the irish narrative of how fantastic we are here in ireland
Poland going backwards rapidly, the Catholic Church influenced PIS is akin to Ireland of the 50′s & 60′s. There’s a better & safer guture in Russia or China than Poland.
@Maurizio: even…future…Ha!
@Maurizio: go easy on the beer Maurizio
have your say