Polska droga do „wolnych mediów”. Koncepcja „nowego ładu informacyjnego” i jej realizacja

Abstract

The key issue analyzed in the article are the changes in Polish media that occurred in the 1990s
as an effect of political transformation started in 1989. However, in order to comprehend the
complexity of the process in relation to media and to fully appreciate the tempo and scope of
the changes one has to realize how media function during the Polish People’s Republic. The
main idea of the process was to transform a non-democratic system with all its characteristics
into a typically democratic system based on two fundamental values: freedom of speech and
pluralism of media. The building of a democratic media system in Poland was relatively fast. In said system, the
media are to guarantee freedom, which was firmly acknowledged in the 1997 constitution.
The media are considered to be “the fourth power” and “a watch dog for democracy”. When
evaluating the process one needs to bear in mind that the commencement of any changes was
possible thanks to a consistent implementation of the concept of “new informational order”
developed by “podstolik medialny” (a media sub-table) and put down in “Porozumienia
Okrągłego Stołu” (“Polish Round Table Agreement”).