Fourteenth newspaper editor leaves since Polish state oil giant media takeover

The editor-in-chief of one of the newspapers recently purchased by state-owned oil giant Orlen has left his position, the 14th such case since the takeover, despite the firm promising not to make major personnel changes amid concerns it would increase government control over the media.

Meanwhile, a former aide to President Andrzej Duda is reportedly set to be appointed as deputy editor of one of the titles belonging to Polska Press, the publishing group bought by Orlen, raising further concerns over political influence.

The latest editor to leave his position is Krzysztof Zyzik, who had been in charge of Nowa Trybuna Opolska (NTO), a newspaper covering one of Poland’s 16 provinces. He had worked at NTO since 1993, and been its editor-in-chief since 2006.

The change means that 14 editors-in-chief of major regional titles bought by Orlen have been replaced, while only two have retained their positions, notes Press, a magazine covering Poland’s media sector.

Zyzik had previously made clear his opposition to the state oil giant’s purchases of hundreds of local newspapers and websites, likening it to the situation under Poland’s former communist regime. NTO was the only one of Orlen’s regional titles that did not publish an interview with Daniel Obajtek, the firm’s CEO, notes Gazeta Wyborcza.

In a Facebook post announcing his departure, Zyzik said that the “hallmarks of NTO were independence and courage”, and that it had always been able to publish without fear of political interference.

But “our fate is now determined by those whom we should be holding to account”, and he had decided that “living in harmony with my conscience is more important to me than staying in my position”.

Zyzik’s replacement as editor-in-chief is Bolesław Bezeg, who was previously associated with a local branch of state broadcaster Polskie Radio. Many of the new editors appointed to Orlen’s titles have links to public media, which have come under growing government influence.

Earlier this month, the long-serving editor-in-chief of Gazeta Współczesna and Kurier Poranny, two other newspapers owned by Orlen, also left his position. He was replaced by a journalist from the local branch of TVP, the state television broadcaster.

Such changes have drawn criticism from other journalists and commentators, who note that, when Orlen completed its takeover, Obajtek promised that “no layoffs among employees are planned” and that the firm “does not intend to interfere with journalistic content in titles published by Polska Press”.

However, Dorota Kania, the overall editor-in-chief of Polska Press, notes that Zyzik – like many other editors who have left their positions since the takeover – departed by mutual consent. Kania herself is a journalist who has worked for outlets with ties to the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday two media outlets – Onet and Wirtualne Polska – reported separately that a former advisor to President Duda is set to become deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Lubuska, another of the regional titles purchased by Orlen.

Last month, the newspaper’s previous editor-in-chief was replaced by a former journalist from state radio. Now Marcin Kędryna – who served in the presidential chancellery for five years, mostly recently as head of its press office until the end of last year – will reportedly be his deputy.

Previously, Kędryna also served as an assistant to Duda when the latter was a PiS MEP, and the two have been friends since childhood. Kędryna has previously worked as a journalist as well.

Commenting on Kędryna’s reported appointment, Janusz Schwertner, a journalist from Onet, compared the development to the situation under communism. However, Kania responded that Onet was simply “scared of Polska Press”.

Since PiS came to power, Poland has fallen every year in the annual World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders, from a record high of 18th in 2015 to a lowest-ever 64th this year.

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.