In an open letter, the organisation refers to a recent announcement by Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska that public media are set to receive 2.5 billion złoty (approximately €590 million) in 2026.
TD describes the draft media law currently under consultation as “a step in the right direction” and says it will take part in the public consultation process.
However, it warns that the proposed sum and the planned funding model may prove insufficient after the planned abolition of the licence fee, which has historically been a source of revenue for public broadcasters.
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Opublikowany przez Towarzystwo Dziennikarskie Wtorek, 25 listopada 2025
The authors note that earlier policy assumptions, drawn up at the beginning of 2025, envisaged spending on public media at the level of 0.09% of GDP.
The current proposal, based on the 2.5 billion złoty figure, amounts to roughly 0.06% of GDP.
According to data cited in the letter, this is below the EU average of 0.12% of GDP, placing Poland among European countries that provide comparatively modest support to their public broadcasters.
A long-running dispute over public media in Poland
Poland’s public media have been at the centre of a long-running and highly political dispute.
During the years in power of the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, public broadcasters underwent far-reaching changes widely criticised at home and abroad for political bias and for serving as tools of government propaganda.
Following the 2023 parliamentary elections, which returned a centrist, pro-European government led by Donald Tusk, efforts began to restore editorial independence and introduce new standards of governance.
In late 2023, public media companies were placed into liquidation as a temporary legal mechanism intended to allow reforms to proceed.
This status, however, has since been criticised by experts - and by TD itself - for hindering day-to-day operations, limiting investment and complicating long-term programming plans.
Public media as critical infrastructure
In its letter, the Polish Journalists’ Association argues that independent, reliable and impartial public service media play a role in national security, particularly at a time of regional tensions and information-related threats.
It urges the government to include funding for public broadcasters directly in the 2026 budget bill, noting that this is the one piece of legislation the president cannot veto, giving it a unique stabilising effect.
TD also calls for the liquidation status to be lifted, for the principles of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) to be implemented even before the law is enacted, for public service remits to be clarified, and for leadership positions to be filled through transparent competitions.
Without a coherent model of funding and governance, the organisation argues, rebuilding the credibility and independence of Poland’s public broadcasters will be impossible.
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Source: TD/Polish Radio English Section/IAR/PAP