In The Campaign’s Last Hours All Dirty Tricks Against News Media Appear

Michael Hedges July 9, 2020 - Follow on Twitter

Social and political polarization have become a constant theme as much of the world is absorbing one crisis after another. Elections bring out the worst in politicians and their supporters. The divide is often blunt and uncompromising. News media is an easy target.

Last Monday night the editorial offices of publisher MaxMedia were ransacked, totally destroyed. Spray painted on a wall was “Fakty TVN wypad” (Fakty TVN go away), reported media portal wirtualnemedia.pl (July 8). It is possible the not-too-bright vandals confused Fakty or Fakty Social Dialogue with TV news program Fakty TVN.

“This barbaric attack perfectly fits the message of the ruling camp and the president,” said Editor in chief Piotr Szumlewicz in a statement. “Politically, it is Andrzej Duda who is responsible for this assault. It was the incumbent president who knowingly and intentionally turned on a spiral of hatred towards opposition media. Here are its effects.” Apparently, reported press.pl (July 8), a threat was sent by email accusing reporters of “spreading lies about the president.”

Fakty Social Dialogue (Dialogu Spolecznego Fakty) is published for NGOs, labor unions and employers promoting social dialogue. “In our magazine we publish the texts of various parties to the political dispute, and above all we initiate dialogue between trade unions, employers, the government and local government,” added Mr. Szumiewicz. “The attack on our headquarters in this respect summarized the presidency of Andrzej Duda, during which social dialogue practically ceased to exist. Now, not only is there no dialogue anymore, only intimidation of uncomfortable NGOs, trade unions and the media.”

It is also possible the vandals were retaliating against best selling tabloid Fakt, long a target of the right-wing nationalist populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, to which president Duda is aligned. Last Friday on the Fakt front page was a photo illustrating an article about president Duda granting a pardon to a convicted pedophile. The photo placed both in the same shot.

“This slanderous attack is just meanness,” exclaimed presidential spokesperson Adam Bielan. “It's the worst kind of dirty campaign. For what? What's happening? Does this group, Axel Springer with a German pedigree, who owns the Fakt newspaper, want to influence the presidential election in Poland? Yes? Germany wants to elect a president in Poland? This is meanness. I do not agree to this.” The German ambassador to Poland was summoned.

Fakt is published by the Swiss and German joint venture Ringier Axel Springer Polska. Fakty TVN is the most watched TV newscast in Poland, 30 minutes seven evenings a week. TVN is owned by US-based Discovery Inc. MaxMedia, publisher of Fakty, also publishes other business and investment oriented magazines.

When president Duda held a public signing on Monday (July 3) of a draft constitutional amendment to prevent same-sex couples from adopting children reporters and photojournalists were informed in advance that specific accreditation for the event was unnecessary, holding a press ID would be sufficient to access the Presidential Palace. When photojournalists David Zuchowicz and Damien Burzykowski, arrived at the door they were turned away. Others were not. Mr. Zuchowicz and Mr. Burzykowski work for daily newspapers Gazeta Wyborcza and the aforementioned Fakt, respectively. Gazeta Wyborcza has also long been under fire from PiS politicians for critical news coverage.

“Entry to the Presidential Palace is not a tool to reward or punish the media,” said a letter signed by 120 members of Poland’s Photojournalists Association (Stowarzyszenie Fotoreporterów), reported news portal onet.pl (July 9). “We expect that this activity of the Chancellery will never happen again.” Ombudsman Adam Bodnar added, separately, "Such actions may be aimed at suppressing press criticism and, as a result, may limit the freedom to obtain and disseminate information, which benefits citizens and which is the foundation of a democratic state. Such action, in the opinion of the ombudsman, has no justification under applicable law.”

Citizens of Poland will, once again, go to the polls this Sunday (July 12) to elect the country’s president. Andrzej Duda is seeking reelection. Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski is seeking a different outcome. Three televised debates were originally scheduled. All cancelled, the prime reason being president Duda’s reluctance at facing tough questions from unfriendly reporters. Instead president Duda made non-debate remarks to state TV TVP while mayor Trzaskowski offered his thoughts at the same time to the aforementioned TVN. The other primary national TV channel - Polsat - removed itself from the nonsense. The latest Kantar election run-off poll, reported by Euronews (July 9), showed the two candidates in a statistical tie.

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