The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has wasted no time in congratulating itself on the launch of its new Polish language service, BBC Polska. From Tuesday, July 1st, the largest UK public broadcaster promises Polish-speaking audiences “content they can trust.”
It’s striking that, unlike the BBC’s more neutral-sounding former motto—”Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation”—BBC News Global Director and Deputy CEO Jonathan Munro seems to be gearing up for a propaganda war with sovereigntist supporters of Law and Justice (PiS) in all but name, aiming to:
- counter a “storm of disinformation;”
- respond to an era of “ever-growing attacks on media freedom, democracy and regional security;”
- “advance the case for democratic values.”
This is a far cry from October 25th, 2005, when the state-funded BBC World Service announced that its Cold War-inflected Polish-language broadcasts would end. From next week, artificial intelligence translation technology will repurpose BBC journalism for Polish speakers while drawing upon Polish-speaking stringers and pundits.
With an existing weekly audience of about 5.1 million people in Poland, the BBC’s plans to convey an anti-populist message could still face a competitive market, as Brussels is now working out how to replace such liberal mouthpieces as Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe. Recent research shows that European Union supporters of Polish PM Donald Tusk previously appeared asleep at the wheel in their efforts to counter PiS narratives.
Subsidies for this venture will come out of ‘existing funds,’ meaning UK taxpayers and TV licence holders—who could face imprisonment if they don’t pay the fines imposed on them for watching live television or BBC streaming services without buying the correct documentation—will have to pay for it.
