In response to the statement of the US Department of State, we would like to inform you that the National Broadcasting Council has adopted a resolution to impose a penalty on TVN SA, a broadcaster of the TVN24 channel, based on a thorough and long-term analysis of six television programs.

In many of the programs we monitored, there was a sharp criticism of the ruling coalition, but this was not the subject of our decision, which critics accuse us of. 

So partiality was not the reason to impose a penalty. It should be emphasized that from all the analyzed programs on TVN24, the National Broadcasting Council saw a violation of the law, including art. 18 section 1 and 3 of the Act on radio and television. 
 
The National Broadcasting Council rarely punishes broadcasters and protects freedom of speech, but freedom also means responsibility. 
 
TVN has the right to sympathize with the opposition, however, news reports could fuel aggression leading to tragic events that have already taken place in the recent past.
Once again, it must be repeated that in a situation when it comes to blows or even ultimately to bloodshed, words have the weight of stones and can trigger an avalanche. 
 
The penalty was determined based on art. 53 (1) of the Broadcasting Act and constitutes only 1 per mille of the sender's annual income achieved in 2016 and only 1 per cent of the maximum possible penalty imposed by the National Broadcasting Council.  
 
Such a low penalty can in no way affect the financial situation of the broadcaster, but it should be a clear signal that it should act with a sense of responsibility. Rather, it lowered the temperature of the dispute in society than it fueled, especially in times of confrontation that are difficult for this society, which inevitably brings democracy.