WARSAW: Poland's president vetoed a media bill that critics said aimed to silence a Discovery-owned news channel critical of the government, citing worries about the strain the law would put on relations with the United States.
President Andrzej Duda said in a televised statement on Monday that if the law came into force it could violate a treaty signed with the United States on economic and trade relations. Unexpectedly rushed through parliament this month, the legislation would have tightened rules around foreign ownership of media, specifically affecting the ability of news channel TVN24, owned by US media company Discovery Inc, to operate.
"I would not see it in terms of a betrayal, but a difference in approach to what is right for the Republic of Poland," she said.