Powder In The Ointment: The Nose Knows

Michael Hedges August 27, 2018 - Follow on Twitter

Temperament varies considerably among media folks. Most, understandably, just try to get through the day. Some like the money and status. Others find challenges rewarding. A notable few, particularly on the news side, are motivated by the dictum of Finley Peter Dunne: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. This can raise tempers.

The lead article in Newsweek Polska published August 20th brought forward criticism circulating for months through media circles in Poland about state TV broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) and its president, Jacek Kurski. The title - TVP: Pudrowanie Kleski - translates as “the powdering of defeat,” as in powdering your nose, or covering up something. It is explicit: “The strategy of Jacek Kurski at TVP assumes the viewer, or voter, is naive, even that he is a moron, who is unaware and believes the manipulation.”

The Newsweek Polska piece, written by Wojciech Ciesla, detailed the woes at TVP, supported by named and unnamed sources, since parliamentary elections placed the Law and Justice (PiS) party in power and TVP, as well as radio broadcaster Polska Radio, underwent conversion from internationally respected public broadcasters to state broadcasters serving the PiS. Expensive new studios for news channel TVP Info and the TVP1 evening news program were, said the article, largely cosmetic. Audience ratings for TVP channels have fallen 40% since the PiS party take-over.

The confluence of Mr. Kurski’s professional and personal life was also noted in the Newsweek Polska article. At the end of July he married Joanna Klimek, former TVP marketing director. She resigned that position in October 2016 “due to the establishment of a personal relationship with president Kurski,” said a TVP statement, quoted by news portal onet.pl (August 20). The Newsweek Polska article suggests employee complaints about Mr. Kurski have reached PiS leader and de facto ruler of Poland Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

More recently she entered employment with telecom Netia, subsidiary of satellite provider Cyfrowy Polsat, as a brand and media expert. Netia TV set-top boxes collect data used to estimate television audience as an alternative to Nielsen viewership ratings, which Mr. Kurski criticized as under-estimating TVP audiences. Only TVP subscribes to the Netia TV audience data, other broadcasters and media buyers sticking with the Nielsen service. "Joanna's job has nothing to do with what Netia provides TVP,” said a company spokesperson. The Newsweek Polska article suggests Ms Klimek retains a degree of influence at TVP.

In keeping with spats elsewhere in the world, the principals took to social media. “TVP sues the scandalous Newsweek Polska and weak (executive editor) Tomasz Lis for further lies about TVP. The publication is another pathetic attempt to weaken the growing position of the public broadcaster,” said TVP Twitter spurt. Indeed, a court claim was filed against Newsweek Polska, Mr. Lis and journalist Wojciecha Ciesli, who wrote the article.

“Liar Kurski,” fired back Mr. Lis on Twitter, “again lying and insinuating. Happy to meet you in court. I hope that it is not yet taken over by your cronies.” Mr. Lis, well-known for relishing a fight, was referencing recent attempts by PiS members of parliament to pack courts with sympathetic judges.

“We will not be intimidated,” wrote Mr. Ciesli in the online edition of Newsweek Polska (August 21). “We look forward to your lawsuit. And we are good at waiting.”

Newsweek Polska is published by Ringier Axel Springer Polska (RASP), subsidiary of Ringier Axel Springer joint venture of big Swiss and German publishers. Foreign owners, Axel Springer in particular, have been in the sights of PiS loyalists though their “re-polanization” campaign that has, so far, had little impact on the media market. Last December regulator KRRiT fined television channel TVN for coverage of an opposition rally. TVN is principally owned by US-based Discovery Communications.

See also...

• Hot Topics - Media in Poland

• Hot Topics - Public Broadcasting