The media in Poland: Five years after the breakdown (original) (raw)
Related papers
Public Television in Poland Political Pressure and Public Service Media in a Post- communist Country
Routledge, 2021
This book examines the professional activity of public television journalists in Poland operating in the still unstable system of a postcommunist state, to demonstrate how the media can work in the public interest to strengthen democracy. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Telewizja Polska (TVP) journalists, the author shows how public television in Poland has become highly politicised and commercialised, and must defend against constant attacks on its autonomy. She draws parallels with the media systems in Hungary and the Czech Republic to analyse potential legal solutions and to highlight how Poland's journalists are subject to influences from the political class as well as from the market-a situation brought about by flawed legislation, the absence of a political culture, an inefficient internal regulating process and lack of suitable training for the journalists themselves. Adding an important perspective on recently developed media systems, this book will be an important resource for scholars and students of journalism, media studies, media industries, politics and media history. Agnieszka Węglińska is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Communication, the Faculty of Applied Studies at the University of Lower Silesia, Poland. Her research concentrates on public service media and transformation of media systems in Europe.
Over two decades have passed by since Poland took the course of democratic changes. In the early 1990s the press sector was re-established as a consequence of de-monopolization and has been taken over by foreigners. The electronic media sector has been restricted for 15 years and foreign companies could only have one third of the ownership. The complexity of Polish media system reflects the long way from communism and governmental media towards free democratized market with some remnants of the previous era. It is hard to predict when it will be shaped in a brand new way and if it is generally possible.
Politics and the Media in Poland from the 19th to the 21st Centuries
Brill, 2024
The book presents the latest research and reflects on the relationships between the media and politics, using the case study method. It delves into the interests of Polish researchers from various centres. The individual chapters focus on different types of both old and new media, including the press, books, radio and the Internet. The authors are historians, media experts and political scientists, sociologists, cultural experts, linguists and representatives of other disciplines. As a result, the research methods, hypotheses and research results present a range of perspectives.
Berlusconization of the Mass Media in East Central Europe - The New Danger of Italianiztion?
While communism was still an official ideology in the countries of East Central Europe, 1 the mass media, and in particular television, were used as the mouthpiece of the single ruling party. Their usual task was simple and well understood: to serve to glorify the first secretary and nomenklatura and their great achievements. The main features of the communist system »were a complete centralization of the media organs, with the communist party and its multi-layered structure at the head of the system«. 2 E. Mickiewicz, characterizing the old Soviet media type, added a third feature of that system, notably saturation. In their search for absolute penetration of the potential public, the communist leaders were able to approve the news pattern and content, and finally to send it out to entirely dominated media. Moreover, the management positions in television and radio were filled by members and enthusiasts of the communist party appointed by the political leadership from the top. 3 However, the ouster of communism meant that the mass media in the region was forced to enter into a new era. The rules changed and their reform followed the model of television and radio in Western Europe. This is a dual media model -based upon two kinds of media; public and commercial.
Media landscape of Poland - from a distance
2014
This short essay is meant for scholars and students of mass media who need a basic introduction to the largest media market in Eastern Europe-Poland. The contemporary Polish media system functions within a framework shaped by the process of transformation from authoritarian communism to liberal democracy, and it is impossible to understand without some knowledge of that transformation. Therefore the text consists of three parts: the postwar communist authoritarian system (1944-1989), the transformation from authoritarian communism to liberal democracy (1989-2004) and recent trends including the rise of the "new" online media (2004-2013).
Politicisation of the polish media or mediatisation of polish politics?
Środkowoeuropejskie Studia Polityczne, 2014
Today the mass media are referred to as ‘the fourth estate’. It did not take long for them to be elevated to this position and calling them this term puts them on a par with the other three types of power. Strong dependence is thus present between the political and the media systems. Therefore, it seems reasonable to pose the following questions: Which is currently exerting greater influence – the media on politics or maybe politics on the media? Are we dealing with the mediatisation of Polish politics or politicisation of the Polish media? These are just a few questions that come up with regard to the relationships between these two spheres of life. The purpose of this article is to differentiate and describe the levels on which the realms of Polish politics and the media meet, confront each other and cooperate. It is therefore necessary to examine the legal framework for the mass media, the interference of Polish politicians in the shaping and functioning of the institution controlling and regulating the Polish media – Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji [the National Broadcasting Council], as well as to draw attention to the agenda-setting theory and the role journalists play in relations with politicians.
Towards illiberal conditioning? New politics of media regulations in Poland (2015–2018)
East European Politics, 2019
In this article, we examine how media policy changes aid dedemocratisation in Poland. Unfolding the logic underpinning the new politics of media regulations, this article argues that media policy paints a nuanced picture of democratic backsliding. Our Foucault-inspired discourse analysis of media policy archive focuses on the rise of illiberal trends at the crossroads of the Polish hybrid media system, democracy and society. We find these trends display the features of centralisation of power, cultural politics, political partisanship and social polarisations. We explain these notions, using the concepts of "executive aggrandisement" and "politicisation" of public service media sector.
Środkowoeuropejskie Studia Polityczne, 2024
In recent years, the Polish media system has faced significant changes, primarily related to the reform of public media and ownership transformations in the regional daily press sector. One of the key electoral promises of the Zjednoczona Prawica government (2015–2023) was the re-Polonization of the media. Despite the announcement of the re-Polonization/deconcentration act, it was never implemented. The only tangible result of years of discussions on its provisions was the acquisition of Polska Press Group assets by PKN Orlen Company from Verlagsgruppe Passau. This is a descriptive article aimed at presenting the chronology of events related to the re-Polonization of the Polish media in 2015–2021. The most important developments are categorized into two stages: conceptual and executive. The study draws on information and opinions from government and parliament members, as well as selected representatives of public institutions, which were published across media outlets with diversified profiles.
ATHENAEUM Polish Political Science Studies, 2021
This study addresses the positioning of Poland’s public television network (TVP) within the country’s contemporary political system. In a democratic country, the media laws determine journalism practices and the media content. In this study, three perspectives of analysis were used to assess the relationship between the process of politicization and the selection and shaping of news. Three areas of the TVP’s politicization were focused on: media law, journalists, and media content, to show the dependence between these fields and how the news was shaped and presented. Mixed methods of empirical research were used to investigate the raised issues; the authors focused on Polish parliament papers (N = 45) regarding the legal regulations of Polish public broadcasters during the period of 2015–2016; conducted in-depth interviews with journalists with TVP experience (N = 20); and performed a content analysis of the Polish public television channel TVP1’s “Newsnight” news program during the period of February 4–10, 2019. We found that an increased level of politicization at Poland’s TVP led to direct influence on the shape and selection of news.