The Polish parliament, dominated by the ruling Law and Justice party, has recently amended the country's Penal Code to greatly toughen sentences for espionage activities. Some of the changes pose a direct threat to independent media.
Welcome to the dark world of Putinophiles and super-spreaders of pro-Russian propaganda. The Polish infosphere is filled with them. Some have seeped deep into government structures.
Despite many concerns regarding its unconstitutional character, on Wednesday, President Andrzej Duda signed the contentious "lex Tusk" bill into law. Days earlier, the European Council's Venice Commission issued an urgent opinion in which it argued...
It is evident to anyone of sound mind that this pre-election period will be ruthless. The stakes are extraordinarily high, leading to a wide array of employed tactics. Official campaigns have yet to commence, but there is no requirement for a...
Recently, I had an encounter with an important figure associated with the authorities. This individual believes that all journalists in Poland are under control; mere marionettes obediently executing the directives of their superiors. According to...
As the Editorial Leaders of Poland's foremost media organizations, we wholeheartedly champion their independence and affirm our resolute commitment to the fundamental principles of journalism, which encompass objectivity, accuracy, and unwavering...
Outlets in Hungary and Poland are under acute pressure, as their governments redirect resources to reward favorable coverage and changes in ownership serve to amplify progovernment narratives - finds the latest report on media and democracy in...
In his recent opinion piece, the Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen urges President Biden to ignore Poland's democratic backsliding as mere domestic "partisan warfare". But for the Biden administration to adopt this deliberate myopia would be...
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the European Commission and European Parliament to prevent Poland's new commission of inquiry into Russian influence on internal security from being used to wage a witchhunt against journalists critical of...
It would seem that eight years are more than enough time to lose all remaining illusions about the political direction in which the ruling camp is steering our country. And yet, there are still some among us who shrug off this blatantly...
Despite widespread criticism as to its constitutional validity, on Monday, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a law establishing an extrajudicial commission tasked with tracking "Russian influences"- a move generally considered to be aimed at...
In a letter obtained by Wyborcza, US Ambassador Mark Brzezinski warns Polish authorities of the potential risks a submitted property law amendment could have on Poland's national security and its relations with key allies.
A participant in the Equality March in Olsztyn, north-eastern Poland, was shot in the head with a BB gun when walking to an afterparty with a pride flag. Organizers condemn the attack as "an act of violence against the entire LGBTQ community".
In a recent interview published in the Polish-language edition of Newsweek magazine, Gen. Piotr Pytel, former Commander of Poland's Military Counterintelligence Service, accused the Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak of intentionally...
"The European Media Freedom Act is a pioneering attempt to insert legal safeguards into EU law to defend media freedom against attempts by governments and authorities in EU member states such as Poland and Hungary to control media, while ensuring...
The International Press Institute (IPI) today raises alarm over the controversial fine imposed on the independent radio TOK FM by the chair of Poland's broadcast media regulator and warns of increasing regulatory pressure on the station ahead of a...
Ahead of the 2015 parliamentary election, "Wyborcza" has warned that a victory of the nationalist-conservative camp could have disastrous consequences for the state of democracy in Poland. Among the institutions we feared PiS would capture and...
On April 22, a crashed "aerial object" was discovered by a passerby in a forest near the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. Multiple sources identified the wreckage as the remains of a Russian-made Kh-55 cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads....
The district prosecutor's office in Warsaw has opened an investigation into alleged abuse of power by Polish opposition leader and former PM Donald Tusk. The probe was launched at the request of Marek Falenta, a businessman and key figure in the...
A whistleblower with close ties to Poland's top government officials confirmed that a state-owned hotel chain cooperated with intelligence services to spy on guests, including members of the opposition and a political activist.
This coming Monday, April 24, the Committee for Editorial Independence and Reporters Without Borders will unveil the results of their Media Freedom Poll 2023. Please join us for a live presentation and a panel discussion at Gazeta Wyborcza's Warsaw...
The Polish government was fully aware that Ukrainian grain might be leaking into the local market. Warning signs were there for months but Kaczyński chose to ignore them.
One year on from the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine, European unity has deepened and grown. While European leaders may feel encouraged and reassured by these results, they should be careful in their optimism - say the authors of a recent ECFR...
At a recent rally, Poland's Minister of Climate and Environment expressed her regret that European law does not allow to revoke the passports of Polish MEPs who "slander their own country".
Judge Agnieszka Brygidyr-Dorosz sentenced activist Justyna Wydrzyńska to eight months of community service on 14 March for helping to terminate a pregnancy. That same day, she received a secondment to the Court of Appeal in Warsaw by order of...
On Thursday, special services coordinator Mariusz Kamiński confirmed that Polish security services uncovered a Russian spy network tasked with monitoring key transport infrastructure used to deliver aid to Ukraine. The cell was also supposed to run...
On Tuesday, a Polish women's rights activist was found guilty of "aiding an abortion". She was sentenced to 8 months of community service for providing pills to another woman. It is the first conviction of this kind in Europe.
On Monday, March 13, the district court in Poznań sided with 32 pro-choice activists accused of "maliciously interfering in a religious ceremony". The judge who delivered the verdict admitted that the separation of church and state in Poland is...
After a relatively quiet year for press freedom in Poland, independent media are again being threatened by baseless political accusations, opaque regulatory proceedings and a discriminatory bill. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the...
"It's beneath me to comment on the Justice Minister's words about Brussels officials allegedly willing to incapacitate Poland - says Supreme Court Justice Krzysztof Rączka.
The tragic death of an opposition MP's 15-year-old son has in the past few days become a matter of great public concern in Poland. In an open protest call, some 200 journalists urge their fellow colleagues not to accept invitations from...
Pro-government media in Poland are facing severe backlash after the suicide of an opposition MP's teenage son. Because of their careless coverage, the 15-year-old boy was publicly identified as the victim of sexual abuse.
Polish intelligence services tapped the phone of Sopot mayor Jacek Karnowski using Pegasus spyware, "Wyborcza" has found. The politician was under surveillance while actively involved in the opposition's 2019 campaign for Senate.
With the generous support of its readers, "Wyborcza" has successfully organized three humanitarian aid convoys reaching communities near Ukraine's front lines.
A young woman in Warsaw has recently made a gynecologist appointment to ask for hormonal contraception. Yet, instead of receiving a prescription, she heard that "Jesus has other plans for her".
All those who were murdered deserve our deepest admiration and gratitude, for there - in Ukraine - the fate of Polish freedom is being decided. The Ukrainian people are fighting this war for their freedom and ours.
In their speeches, given on the same day, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden were both interpreting that war to their audiences. But those audiences were very different. So were the visions of the world on offer.
President Biden's visit to Warsaw coincides with a high-stakes election year for Poland. The ruling camp sees this as a huge opportunity to convince its electorate that a Poland led by PiS has finally "risen from its knees" to become an important...
At least 37 people were found dead at the Poland-Belarus border since the beginning of the humanitarian crisis. Only last week, authorities found the bodies of four people. The push-back policy causing these deaths must end immediately! - over 100...
The famous German playwright Bertolt Brecht used to say that "to live in a country where there is no humor is unbearable, but it is even more unbearable to live in a country where humor is necessary". The Russian people know this only too well. At...
Copyright © Wyborcza sp. z o.o.
Dzisiejsza gazeta (e-wydanie)
