End of Free Press?
Newspapers such as Fakt, Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Puls Biznesu, Polityka, Newsweek are protesting against changes in press law in answer to the verdict of the Constitutional Tribunal which announced that the regulation concerning disclaimers and press responses is inaccurate. Therefore, senators have decided to replace disclaimers with press responses, which may evoke serious consequences. Disclaimers are usually published when an article contained information at variance with the facts. According to the statement, the obligation of publishing disclaimers is obvious, since it is the truth that newspapers should concentrate on. The press should be reliable, therefore, in the case of providing a reader with false information it is compulsory to place a disclaimer in the article and apologise. Contrary to a disclaimer, a press response does not have to apply to facts, what is more it can be sent by anyone. On the other hand, no one can forbid the press to express its own opinion or force it to propagate views with which it disagrees. However, this is what may happen after implementing the new bill. These changes may contribute to a situation in which marketing and PR departments will take advantage of the new law by placing free ads in newspapers. Left-wing newspapers will be forced to publish responses of right-wing ideologists and vice-versa. The new law will deprive editorial offices of creating their own internal policies, as well as prohibiting them from expressing their point of view. If the new bill enters into force, the Polish press would be under the influence of external factors: politicians, officials, businessman and the suchlike.
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