Poland MPs approve controversial media ownership bill

Opponents say legislation on foreign ownership an attempt to silence a TV station critical of government.

Members of Poland’s lower house of parliament have voted in favour of an amendment to the country’s Broadcasting Act to tighten rules on foreign ownership of media, drawing concerns about press freedom. The media law which was passed on Wednesday, would prevent companies from outside the European Economic Area from holding a controlling stake in Polish media companies. That would force US group Discovery to sell its majority stake in TVN, one of Poland’s biggest private TV networks whose news channel TVN24 is often highly critical of the government.