A Polish television presenter has been suspended from public station TVP after a heated exchange with newly sworn in Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński.

Chairman of TVP Janusz Daszczyński claimed in a statement that presenter Karolina Lewicka's interviewing technique marked “an emphatic departure from the standards that apply to public television.”

The interview concerned the play 'Death and the Maiden', which was being performed over the weekend amid protests in a publicly funded theatre in Wrocław, south west Poland.

Gliński had earlier claimed that the play was pornographic and should not be funded with public money.

However, he admitted in the interview with Lewicka that he might have been misled on the matter of pornography, owing to a possible “provocation” by the theatre.

Nevertheless, he accused the channel TVP INFO of hosting “a propaganda programme,” arguing that the station had been “manipulating” public opinion for years.

Presenter Karolina Lewicka called on the minister to apologise for his accusations that the station created propaganda, and likewise accused him of not answering questions but rather trying to make statements as if at a press conference.

The socially conservative Law and Justice party, which won the 25 October general election, has indicated that it wants a 'patriotic' approach to cultural matters.



TVP journalists protest

Although TVP Janusz Daszczyński swiftly suspended Lewicka, he then signed a letter with other TVP Info staff protesting against the minister's claims.

“Your words offend us, our station and Polish Television,” the letter stated.

“We demand an apology for the utterance of these offensive words on our programme.” (nh/di)