In the last couple of weeks most respected authorities in culture appealed for dismissal of the people of ultra-nationalistic attitudes from the TVP (Polish public television) and for reorganisation this institution. Indeks 73 Initiative members support these appeals, as we think current activities of the Telewizja Polska S.A. are contrary to its mission and to Article 73 of the Polish Constitution, which guarantees freedom of artistic expression and free access to cultural goods.

The public television is obliged to fulfil its public mission. This mission is precisely defined in the document from 2005 “The principles guiding the fulfillment of the Telewizja Polska S.A. public mission”. In the introduction to this document we read the principles were written down “ with a sense of purpose in supporting the formation of civil society (...)”. The document includes also other interesting declarations concerning the mission of the TVP, which should be looked into in more detail, taking into account recent events:

• “The TVP takes into consideration the needs of national minorities and ethnic groups (...).”
• “Broadcasts and other programmes disseminated by the TVP (...) cannot promote attitudes and views which are contrary to morality and public interest, in particular they cannot be discriminatory in terms of race, religion, sex or nationality”.
• “The TVP supports understanding and agreement between nations (...).”

According to Gazeta Wyborcza Elżbieta Szumska, acting as the General Director of the TVP 1, has censored the TV drama “Londyńczycy” (The Londoners) cutting out a plot of a Polish woman who has got a black child. She explains the spectators will not get to like a Pole with a black child and the number of spectators will drop.
How does this incident refer to the principles of the TVP mission mentioned above? Where is support for “the formation of civil society”? Instead of an interesting plot, which could contribute to teaching tolerance, as well as the scripwriters' freedom of creation, we witness again Polish xenophobia. The spectator numbers win with the public mission of the TVP.

• “TVP cooperates with various domestic and international institutions and organisations and participates in festivals and reviews of television creativity.”
• “TVP uses promotes and co-funds movie and TV productions, and participates in co-production projects (...).”

Does the TVP fulfil these goals and use opportunities of co-production projects?

The American company Hallmark Hall of Fame is making a film about Irena Sandlerowa, who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Second World War. The TVP declared to buy for 5 mln PLN the copyrights to edit recorded material and make a feature film and TV drama for Polish spectators. Hallmark promised, as the TVP required, to involve Polish artists in the production and agreed on cooperation for the first time in history! However, the moment Piotr Farfał became the Chairman of the Board, the issue of buying copyrights and contacts with Hallmark were suspended. On 8 April the Spokesperson of the Telewizja Polska declared the TVP would not finance the film about Sandlerowa. The Polish Film Institute desperately wants to save the project and will pay 2,5 mln PLN. The Institute wants to obtain the rest of the sum from the Ministry of Culture and from Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. Agnieszka Odorowicz, the General Director of the Polish Film Institute explains the idea was to co-produce a high-budget film with Polish artists, which could be presented at international film festivals and represent Poland. Meanwhile the Chairman cannot find enough time to meet her and discuss the project. She also states that it will be totally disgraceful if Poland fails to find this 5 mln PLN.

• “The TVP shapes the programme on its own and bears responsibility for its content. Except for cases specified in the provisions of law, editorial decisions regarding the dissemination of specific content cannot be influenced by any party, organisation, institution, political or economic stakeholders or any individuals who are active in this respect.”
• “[TVP] neither formulates nor expresses any clear views on political or other issues being the subject of a public debate. It does not favour or promote any party, organisation, group or option.”
• “The major evaluation criteria regarding work at and for the TVP include qualifications and professional achievements.”
• “The TVP’s managerial or programme posts must not be combined with any functions in political parties, seat in Parliament or Senate, work in campaign teams or work for candidates in parliamentary, presidential or local elections, or with work in public administration.”

Since December 2008 the Chairman of the Board of the Telewizja Polska S.A. has been Piotr Farfał, a former member of such organisations as Młodzież Wszechpolska, Stronnictwo Narodowe Szczerbiec, Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski (all of ultra right-wing and nationalistic nature). As a result the TVP has employed many people with no experience in media but with right connections with Liga Polskich Rodzin i Młodzież Wszechpolska. The media also warn that a new head of Agencja Filmowa TVP S.A. (which allocates funds to films and TV series) Andrzej Turkowski is not eligible for this post. His main and only achievement is a film about NSZ advertised on the website Nacjonalista.pl.

Recently the German-French cultural television channel ARTE has broken off cooperation with the TVP because of nationalistic connections of the TVP management.

Other examples of politicization of the Polish public television include acting against Biełsat and supporting Declan Ganley, Libertas leader.

Otwarta Rzeczpospolita, an association against antisemitism and xenophobia, have submitted a letter exhorting the TVP to dismiss nationalists from their posts. Michał Zadara, a theatre director, and Roman Pawłowski, a journalist and member of Indeks 73 Initiative, refused to apper on the TVP Kultura channel. Then other recognised representatives of public and cultural life - Marek Edelman, Andrzej Wajda, Agnieszka Holland, Kazimierz Kutz, Julia Hartwig, Jan Nowicki – appealed for Farfał's dismissal and a boycott the TVP.

We should shortly see the results of these appeals as:

• “TVP is particularly sensitive to the opinions of different social circles concerning its operations as well as criticism thereof.”

So far the most visible effect of the appeals was the letter by TVP trade union members protesting against depreciating their work (by calling them “the Chairman's mates” indicating they're not professional in their work). The question is if dismissing Farfał can really heal the situation in the TVP, as its deterioration didn't start in December 2008... Many successive chairmen treated the TVP as a private property and employed “their” people in accordance with their political likings. As the trade union members write nobody helped them when successive managements influenced by political parties (SLD, PiS, LPR and Samoobrona) got rid of qualified staff and employed their adherents.

So if the TVP wants to become a reliable public television, which fulfils properly noble postulates of its mission and guarantees freedom of artistic expression and free access to cultural goods (instead of censoring programmes), it means this institution needs thorough reforms. Dismissing the ultra nationalistic Chairman should be only a starting point of broader changes.

Agnieszka Kaim


Indeks 73 Commentary:
Financing the TVP with public money obliges this institution to fulfil the public mission. Current activities of the Telewizja Polska S.A. are contrary to its mission and to Article 73 of the Polish Constitution, which guarantees freedom of artistic expression and free access to cultural goods. It is scandalous that the content of the programmes is influenced not by experts and media professionals but by political activists. Censorship in television is unaceptable.

Indeks 73 Initiative appeals for thorough reforms in the TVP, starting with Piotr Farfał's dismissal. The person who has never renounced his neo-nazi, antisemitic and xenophobic beliefs is a threat to freedom of culture.


Translated by Małgorzata Głombiowska