Dozens of Polish media outlets jointly condemn attempts by authorities to restrict journalistic freedom

The editors of most of Poland’s main private media outlets have issued a joint statement in defence of independent journalism. Their intervention comes after claims that the government has sought to gain influence over the country’s two largest news websites, Wirtualna Polska and Onet.

“These are further attempts to limit the independence of Polish media,” wrote the 47 editors. “Together, we will fight to keep the media free and independent as the foundation of a democratic society, protecting the right of citizens to access reliable information.”

Earlier this month, Bartosz Węglarczyk, editor-in-chief of Onet, revealed a recent conversation he said he had had with an unnamed “important person connected to the government”.

He reportedly told Węglarczyk that, if Onet wanted “to be truly independent, you would appoint a person as deputy editor-in-chief who would be responsible for ensuring that the government’s point of view is represented…This person should not report to you, but directly to the management of the company.”

Węglarczyk said that such a suggestion shows “a complete misunderstanding of the role of the media in democracy”, which is “not to ensure that the government’s point of view is well represented”. He likened the idea of a deputy editor reporting to the company’s management to how the media works in China.

That was followed last week by a column written by Paweł Kapusta, editor-in-chief of Wirtualna Polska, in which he described attempts to “attack journalists and strangle free media”.

He revealed that, when his website began publishing investigations that revealed inconvenient information for the government, an offer was made by a state-owned company to buy Wirtualna Polska. When that was rejected, it was followed by “further attempts to influence our editorial office”.

That included, claims Kapusta, “a message from the president of a state institution to a member of the board of Wirtulna Polska with a hint as to which journalists should be fired and which should be hired”.

“The people who are now near the helm of this state have tendencies worthy of authoritarian countries,” wrote Kapusta. “Let’s not be afraid to say it out loud: in this respect we are not much different (or maybe not at all?) from banana republics.”

Węglarczyk and Kapusta’s revelations prompted today’s joint statement, which was signed, among others, by the editors of Fakt, Poland’s best-selling newspaper; TVN24, the largest news channel; RMF and Radio Zet, the two largest radio stations; and Poityka and Newsweek, the two best-selling news weeklies.

Their statement noted that recent years have seen a number of efforts by the authorities “to restrict the independence of Polish media”, including a failed attempt to force the sale of TVN by its US owner, lawsuits brought en masse by state entities against certain outlets, and actions by the state broadcasting regulator.

“We declare that we will defend the independence of Polish journalism, and the editorial offices managed by us will consistently and in solidarity inform the public about any attempt by the authorities to influence the media,” wrote the editors.

At the time of writing, there has been no comment on their letter by government figures. But a senior MP from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Radosław Fogiel, told Wirtualna Polska: “We respect all media. We know they have different editorial lines. When they’re wrong, we straighten it out.”

After the national-conservative PiS came to power in 2015, Poland fell from its highest ever position of 18th in the World Press Freedom Index that year to its lowest ever ranking of 66th in 2022. This year it rose back to 57th.

PiS has brought public media under its influence, turning state broadcaster TVP into a government mouthpiece. It also supported a move in 2020 by state energy giant Orlen to buy hundreds of local media outlets, many of which then installed more PiS-friendly editors.

The ruling party, however, claims that its policies have brought greater balance to a media landscape that was previously dominated by opposition-friendly outlets. It also argues that it is in the national interest for foreign-owned media, such as TVN and Onet, to be brought under Polish control.

Main image credit: Grzegorz Skowronek / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

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.