Vienna, 01/11/2017
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) criticized the poor state of media freedoms and safety of journalists in Poland after a media worker was dismissed on 30 October with dubious justification.
Barbara Burdzy, a journalist of the outlet TVP Info, was dismissed following the publishing of an article she wrote, titled “Macierewicz Intelligence Service Lied”. The piece addressed claims that a deputy minister was involved in property restitution in Warsaw. Burdzy revealed in the article that the intelligence service, lied when negating his involvement.
The article was published on the page wirtualnapolska.pl; the following Monday, 30 October, the journalist was told that her contract was terminated.
SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South, East and Central Europe and its press freedom work is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.