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