Top editors are rallying behind Poland’s independent media as it comes under increased scrutiny from the country’s right-wing, nationalist government.
In a joint statement, the editors in chief of local outlets such as Fakt, Polityka and Gazeta Radomszczańska as well as international media such as Forbes and Canal+, have said they “declare our unwavering dedication to stand firm and defend the independence of Polish journalism.”
“Newsrooms under our leadership will exhibit solidarity and resolutely inform the public about any attempts by the ruling party to exert influence over the media,” reads the statement.
“Together, we will strive to preserve a media landscape that is free and independent, serving as the cornerstone of our democratic society and safeguarding the public’s right to access credible information.” (Read the full letter below, translated from the original Polish.)
Poland will hold elections later this year for the Sejm (general parliament) and the Senate. In the lead-up to the elections, media control appears to be a top agenda item for the ruling coalition party, Law and Justice (PiS). It’s believed that PiS leaders are using the media to polarize the public, suggesting their reporting is aligned with Russian propaganda and ultimately detrimental to Polish values.
Warner Bros. Discovery owns Poland’s biggest news and entertainment channel TVN. The company applied for a renewal of its license six months ago, but it’s yet to be approved. “Renewing the license should be nothing more than a formality, and the process should be simple and efficient,” said Kasia Kieli, president and managing director of WBD Poland and CEO of TVN. “It is now 6 months since we filed for renewal. This is concerning after what we have experienced in the past with our news channel TVN24 and the recent attacks on our journalism.”
The missive by Poland’s journalists comes amid more reports of governmental interference at major news outlets. Recent columns in onet and Wirtualna Polska suggest that public media have become mouthpieces for the government, which is now setting its sights on privately owned outlets.
onet editor-in-chief Bartosz Węglarczyk revealed in a June 14 column titled “The Public Media: A Euology” that he’d recently had an encounter with “an important figure associated with authorities” who informed him “what I should do to make onet an independent media outlet: ‘If your editorial team truly aims for independence, you would appoint a deputy editor-in-chief who would ensure that the government’s perspective is included in your stories. However, this individual would report directly to the company’s management rather than to you.’”
Meanwhile, Paweł Kapusta, editor-in-chief of Wirtualna Polska, detailed a bid by a state-owned company to buy the outlet.
“With the emergence of a series of investigative articles on our website, a proposal to buy WP by a state-owned company also surfaced,” Kapusta writes. “When the proposal was firmly rejected, another proposal to ‘engage in shared interests’ followed. Each subsequent ‘no’ led to further attempts to influence the editorial team, including a message from the president of a state institution to a member of WP’s board, suggesting which journalists should be fired or hired. Specific people and positions were mentioned, echoing what Węglarczyk described a few days ago.”
Poland’s populist Law and Justice party have governed the country since 2015. Local polls have revealed that while it’s still the nation’s most popular party, were an election called now, it would not generate enough votes for a majority in parliament.
Read the journalists’ full letter below:
Declaration of Editors-in-Chief
As the Editorial Leaders of Poland’s foremost media organizations, we wholeheartedly champion their independence and affirm our resolute commitment to the fundamental principles of journalism, which encompass objectivity, accuracy, and unwavering journalistic integrity.
We passionately believe that our primary duty is to hold individuals in positions of power accountable for their actions, while providing the public with reliable information sourced from verified outlets. We are dedicated to ensuring a diverse range of perspectives, thereby delivering a comprehensive and balanced representation of factual events.
Recent publications by onet and Wirtualna Polska have shed light on direct attempts by the ruling camp to manipulate editorial freedom. These incidents form part of an ongoing assault on the autonomy of Polish media, which has been observed in previous cases such as the ‘Lex TVN’ legislation, proceedings by the National Broadcasting Council, and widespread lawsuits aimed at silencing Polish newsrooms.
We hereby declare our unwavering dedication to stand firm and defend the independence of Polish journalism. Newsrooms under our leadership will exhibit solidarity and resolutely inform the public about any attempts by the ruling party to exert influence over the media.
Together, we will strive to preserve a media landscape that is free and independent, serving as the cornerstone of our democratic society and safeguarding the public’s right to access credible information.
