Several media outlets on Monday reported that Kurski has been released from his duties following a motion put forth by Krzysztof Czabański, head of the National Media Council, which is a body overseeing the state-owned television (TVP), radio (Polish Radio) and news agency (PAP).
Following the deposition, Jacek Kurski commented on his Twitter account: “I confirm that due to the decision taken by my political environment and in consultation with me, I have ceased to be the TVP chairman.”
But a National Media Council member from the opposition side, Robert Kwiatkowski, has argued that Kurski must have been ‘taken aback’, and dubbed the dismissal ‘an execution.’
He said that once Kurski left the meeting, Czabański all of a sudden said that the situation in the broadcaster calls for personnel changes and filed a motion to dismiss the chairman.
“The whole operation of removing the then-chairman and appointing his successor took 10, maybe 12 minutes,” Kwiatkowski added.
In response to the event, a spokesman for the ruling Law and Justice party, Radosław Fogiel, tweeted that Kurski is “soon to be entrusted with new tasks.”
The dismissal has fuelled speculation about the future of the politician, with rumours ranging from his getting appointed a Polish government minister to his becoming a political campaign manager for the Law and Justice party in the run-up to the 2023 parliamentary election in Poland.
Under Kurski’s supervision, TVP saw a major reshuffle, as part of Law and Justice’s efforts to, as the BBC wrote, “increase[d] its influence over the media since coming to power in 2015.”
Kurski has been replaced in his position by Mateusz Matyszkowicz, the broadcaster’s board member, who is set to ‘strengthen TVP’s content,’ according to Krzysztof Cabański.
(pjm)
Source: PR24, Rzeczpospolita, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Wprost, BBC