Premier Miller denies conflict with President over media ownership bill

In an interview with Program I of Polish Radio (PR) on Monday Prime Minister Leszek Miller said the government would not give in to pressure from groups which oppose limiting ownership in the media, outlined by the bill on radio and television ownership. "Discussion over the changes to the law, both on radio and television, which are full of lies and libel, shows how much this law is really needed... Everyone can see, how dangerous a monopoly in the media is, and how it can be used to manipulate public opinion..." Last Friday President Aleksander Kwasniewski said he would not sign the bill into law, as it contains what he called "errors". The Prime Minister rejected comments that this signalled that the Premier is in conflict with the President over the issue. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1, Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 10), M.T