MFRR In Focus: How will the takeover of Polska Press in Poland impact the upcoming election?

New podcast episode examines effect of controversial media takeover on pluralism and citizen’s access to independent journalism

Under Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is seeking a third term in government, press freedom in the country has deteriorated over the last decade. While the media landscape remains vibrant and pluralistic overall, independent media critical of the ruling party have faced regulatory, financial and legal pressure.

As the parliamentary election on 15 October 2023 looms, there are major concerns about the increased control that Law and Justice wields, both directly and indirectly, over regional and local media, and what this means for editorial freedoms of journalists working there.

In this episode of the MFRR In Focus, we examine how the takeover of regional media network Polska Press by the country’s state-controlled oil giant PKN Orlen in late 2020 maps onto previous capture of media by the government and its allies, and more broadly, what the implications of this control over local journalism are in an election in which rural voters in particular will be crucial for electoral success.

Guests: Konrad Siemaszko, Legal Officer at the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Poland

Producer and Host: Jamie Wiseman, Europe Advocacy Officer at IPI

Editor: Javier Luque, head of digital communications at IPI

Other episodes in this series:

Ariane Lavrilleux and the case of source protection in France

Related links:

Media capture fears confirmed in new report examining PKN Orlen takeover of Polska Press