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The mass media in Poland consist of several different types of communications media including television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet.
The media landscape is very pluralistic but highly polarized along political and ideological divides.
The media landscape
According to the 2023 report by Warsaw-based media monitoring firm Instytut Monitorowania Mediów (IMM), the most quoted media outlet was RMF FM radio followed by Wirtualna Polska news portal, Rzeczpospolita daily, TVN24 news station and Radio Zet.thumb|The [[Warsaw building of the Rzeczpospolita daily|left]]The Internet penetration of Poland stands at around 92%. According to the Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute, the top 5 most popular online news outlets in 2023 were: Onet, Wirtualna Polska, TVN24.pl, Interia and RMF24.pl.
The government is working to increase broadband internet service. The major print, radio and television outlets have online editions. Online-only portals publishing a mix of news and entertainment content are among the country's most-visited websites .
Public radio service and the first national news agency were both founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The first TV broadcaster, Telewizja Polska, launched in 1952.
During the Soviet-imposed communist regime the Stalinist press doctrine dominated and controlled the media. However the country instituted freedom of press since the fall of communism.
The main features of the media system of modern Poland are the product of the country's socio-political and economic post-communist transition. These features include: the privatisation of the press sector; the transformation of the state radio and television into public broadcasting services; influx of foreign capital into the media market and European integration of audiovisual media policies.thumb|[[Gazeta Wyborcza editorial office, 2014]]Since the 1990s, Poland has developed a pluralistic but highly polarized media environment. Together with previous acquisition of Polish newspaper distributor RUCH it creates a situation where regional media are owned and distributed by state-owned company raising concerns of media neutrality in Poland. On April 8, 2021, a Polish court has suspended the purchase of Polska Press by PKN Orlen.
Media ownership
thumb|[[Polsat television building in Warsaw]]thumb|[[Onet.pl|Onet news portal headquarters in Kraków|left]]
Foreign companies hold a dominant position in the Polish media market. This fact entered into the political debate, in particular since the PiS government took office. To contrast this, Jarosław Kaczyński, founder of the PiS and former Prime Minister, called for the media to be "repolonized" PiS politicians argued that foreign-owned media outlets pursue deliberately unfavorable coverage of the PiS's government with the aim of undermining it. of the Polish media market. The main domestic competitor is Agora, which owns Gazeta Wyborcza and a number of magazines, radio stations, internet platforms, a publishing house and additional ventures. In August 11, 2021, The bill Lex TVN which forbids companies except those from the European Economic Area from holding more than a 49% stake in Polish radio and television stations passed the Sejm.
Media freedom and pluralism
In recent years, according to Reporters Without Borders, in particular since the PiS went to power in 2015 and ended in 2023, media freedom in Poland has been significantly deteriorating.
Several weeks after winning the 2015 parliamentary elections, the PiS passed a media law which gave the government direct control over public broadcasting. It also replaced journalists working in the public radio and TV stations and attempted to throttle several independent print media outlets, such as Gazeta Wyborcza, Polityka and Newsweek Polska by restricting public advertising. According to Freedom House, this effort is part of a broader attempt to weaken checks and balances, silence independent voices and control the public sphere. PiS's control on the executive branch and the executive can undermine the independence of the judiciary and its aggressive attitude towards the Constitutional Tribunal has prompted accusations that it is undermining the rule of law in Poland.
Reporters Without Borders in its 2019 assessment of Poland stated that the public media "have been transformed into government propaganda mouthpieces." Poland is rated "Partly Free" in Freedom House's 2017 "Freedom of the Press" report.
Public television and radio broadcasters
left|thumb|[[TVP Info live broadcast]]
After winning parliamentary elections in October 2015, the PiS party replaced the management positions at the public television and radio broadcasters. This effort was not limited to public broadcasters since the party leadership tried to control also private media outlets for instance by advancing a proposal to restrict reporters’ access to the parliament. The law was not adopted: the government decided to pursue a less ambitious approach and proposed the Parliament a "bridge law" to go into force at the expiration of the "small media law". The "bridge law" was approved in June 2016: the law stated that a newly established National Media Council have to be responsible for the appointment of the management and supervisory boards of the public media. The arrangement established by the law effectively guarantees the rule party a key role in appointing the members of the national Media Council.
- Fixed broadband: 6.4 million subscriptions, 17th in the world; 16.6% of the population, 54th in the world (2012).
- Wireless broadband: 18.9 million subscriptions, 16th in the world; 49.3% of the population, 33rd in the world (2012).
- Internet hosts: 13.3 million hosts, 12th in the world (2012).
See also
- Internet in Poland
- Telecommunications in Poland
- Television in Poland
- CBOS
- Open access in Poland to scholarly communication
- 2023 Polish public media crisis