Polish president vetoes media bill that targeted U.S. company

Poland’s president says he has decided to veto a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share of Polish television network TVN. President Andrzej Duda noted Monday that the bill was unpopular with many Poles and would have dealt a blow to Poland’s reputation as a place to do business. Many Poles saw the bill as an attempt to silence a broadcaster that broadcasts independent and often critical reporting of the authorities. The bill was pushed by the ruling Law and Justice party that Duda is aligned with. Mass nationwide protests were recently held in support of the station and of freedom of speech more broadly.