Putting pressure on the press
If new legislation proposed by Self-defense (SO) and the League of Polish Families (LPR) is passed, press and media organizations may face tougher legal action in the future.
The two parties want the courts to take a harder line in cases where statements newspapers report have not been authorized by the speaker, where corrections are not published, and where "personal rights" are encroached upon. The proposals include stout fines for not publishing corrections, and the establishment of a special court department dedicated to press violations. Officials have even called for the closure of daily Gazeta Wyborcza and an investigation into German press concern Axel Springer.
"Gazeta Wyborcza was preparing a coup d'etat. I will demand its closing," Andrzej Lepper, Self-defense's leader, told the Polish Press Agency.
The proposals were mooted after both parties suffered from print-media reports of misconduct. The recent uproar over the work-for-sex scandal within SO came about after Gazeta Wyborcza first reported the story, while Axel Springer-owned Dziennik published images of members of LPR's former youth wing making Nazi saluting gestures. The scandals led to the expulsion of Stanisław Ły˝wiński from SO, and the separation of the youth wing from LPR.
Lepper and LPR's leader Roman Giertych claim that it is now impossible to defend against media attacks and lies, while journalists don't bear any responsibility for their actions.
"There is a need to change the current regulations, because now the media refuse to publish corrections. A person who is slandered should have the ability to effectively defend himself against the media," said Giertych at a press conference.
The leaders' suggestions met with strong objections from journalism experts. "It seems that the people who suggest these changes have no idea that most of them are in the current press law. Moreover, laws concerning the violation of personal rights are also contained in the civil and penal codes," says Maria Łoszewska-Orłowska from the Institute of Journalism at Warsaw University.
