Poland’s ruling party may clobber independent media

EVER SINCE Poland’s Law and Justice party returned to power in 2015 it has chipped away at the independence of the media. Poland’s annual ranking in the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters without Borders, a non-profit group, has grown worse every year, from 18th in 2015 (ahead of Britain, France and America) to 62nd this year (lower than Niger, Georgia and Armenia). It will slide further if the government carries out its latest plans to “repolonise” the country’s media.

For the past few years leaders of Law and Justice, a populist-nationalist party, have talked about two new laws: one to repolonise and another to “deconcentrate” private media firms. Neither has passed. But after the party lost ground in a general election last October and then won July’s presidential election only narrowly, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party boss who has now emerged from the shadows to take up the role of deputy prime minister, seems determined to push them through. In a recent interview Mr Kaczynski said he wanted to limit foreign investors to a stake of no more than 30% in Polish media, while deconcentration would limit the number of outlets that any one media group can own. Repolonisation, Mr Kaczynski said, would “ensure that there are more media outlets that present the world more truthfully”. The opposition fears the opposite is more likely.