Former Health Minister attacks media

Mariusz Łapiński, former Health Minister and the head of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) in the mazowieckie voivodship, who allegedly sought a multi-million dollar bribe from a major pharmaceuticals firm, as reported by Rzeczpospolita, announced in an interview yesterday that, "The media are a threat to the safety of the country." He also said that Rzeczpospolita was created solely in order to destroy the SLD and, "not only the Prime Minister and Parliament, but also the democratic structures of Poland." Most politicians, including President Kwaśniewski, immediately announced their disagreement with Łapiński. The spokesperson for the governing party, Michał Tober, announced that it is hard not to appreciate the role of the free media in the process of transition, and in building a democratic society. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) A.K.