• Contact
  • About
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
North East Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • European News
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Science
    • UK News
    • World News
    man looking anxious

    Never assume: honesty and mental health

    Flood in York in 2022. Climate change brings about more floods and not just heatwaves and wildfires

    The Tories’ climate change policy does not add up

    A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

    Inequality and development: from global to local

    South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

    A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

    Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

    Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

    Child poverty protestor

    Child poverty: enough is enough

    Boys with kite in Kabul

    One year since the fall of Afghanistan

    North East for Europe at an earlier London march

    The North East in London for National Rejoin March

    Tyne Bridge

    Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

    Trending Tags

    • Ukraine
  • Culture
    • All
    • Animation
    • Books
    • Illustrations & More
    • Music
    • Performance
    • Poetry
    • Social Media
    • Theatre
    • TV & Radio
    The Rock Showman

    Hardwick Festival is down with the kids

    Witty Look

    All aboard the festival bus for Hardwick this weekend

    Boys with kite in Kabul

    One year since the fall of Afghanistan

    Eurovision sign

    The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    Master Chef of Great Britain

    Master Chef of Great Britain at Lumley

    Prezzo

    Discovering the new summer menu at Prezzo

    Chef and son

    MasterChef’s’ Posh Street Food chef’s own summer of entertainment

    Scottish highlands

    The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

    Kleo Tabuku

    Top chef to open Newcastle restaurant, Lovage

    Pop up park

    Pop up to the park in Sunderland

    The Blackbird Inn, Ponteland

    The Blackbird Inn flies high with its new summer menu

    gymnast

    Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

    Kennedy and Rhind

    Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

    Trending Tags

    • Business
      • All
      • Economy
      • Rural
      • Technology
      • Trade
      • Voluntary Sector
      Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

      Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

      Fishing protest

      Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

      Scottish highlands

      The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

      loo

      A room with a loo

      Newcastle quayside

      Newcastle named as one of the best cities for graduates

      Brexit economics

      New research shows the economic effect of Brexit

      Wetherspoons pub

      Wetherspoons sparkle: has it gone flat?

      Leon Fussell rehearsing

      Unsung Heroes at Queen’s Hall, Hexham

      Houchen and spade

      Vampire daylight: a week in the life of Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor

      Trending Tags

      • Region
        • All
        • Co. Durham
        • North East
        • Northumberland
        • Teesside
        • Tyneside
        • Wearside
        A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

        Inequality and development: from global to local

        South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

        A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

        Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

        Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

        Child poverty protestor

        Child poverty: enough is enough

        Tyne Bridge

        Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

        Wildfire at Witherwack

        “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

        Fishing protest

        Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

        NUFC foodbank

        Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

        Summer, Lower East Side. Weegee Ⓒ ICP (International Center of Photography)

        Classic Street Style: Weegee, Doisneau, Forsyth: three cities, three photographers, three decades

        Trending Tags

        • Opinion
          Titanic coming out of Southampton

          The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

          There is an England

          There is an England

          Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

          The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

          Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

          TV Agency staff jumping in the air

          The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

          North East of County Dublin

          North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

          North Sea oil rig

          Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

          Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

          Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

          close up on a child's eye

          Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

        AUDIO
        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Brexit
          • Education
          • Environment
          • European News
          • Health
          • Politics
          • Science
          • UK News
          • World News
          man looking anxious

          Never assume: honesty and mental health

          Flood in York in 2022. Climate change brings about more floods and not just heatwaves and wildfires

          The Tories’ climate change policy does not add up

          A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

          Inequality and development: from global to local

          South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

          A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

          Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

          Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

          Child poverty protestor

          Child poverty: enough is enough

          Boys with kite in Kabul

          One year since the fall of Afghanistan

          North East for Europe at an earlier London march

          The North East in London for National Rejoin March

          Tyne Bridge

          Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

          Trending Tags

          • Ukraine
        • Culture
          • All
          • Animation
          • Books
          • Illustrations & More
          • Music
          • Performance
          • Poetry
          • Social Media
          • Theatre
          • TV & Radio
          The Rock Showman

          Hardwick Festival is down with the kids

          Witty Look

          All aboard the festival bus for Hardwick this weekend

          Boys with kite in Kabul

          One year since the fall of Afghanistan

          Eurovision sign

          The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

        • Lifestyle
          • All
          • Fashion
          • Food & Drink
          • Health & Fitness
          Master Chef of Great Britain

          Master Chef of Great Britain at Lumley

          Prezzo

          Discovering the new summer menu at Prezzo

          Chef and son

          MasterChef’s’ Posh Street Food chef’s own summer of entertainment

          Scottish highlands

          The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

          Kleo Tabuku

          Top chef to open Newcastle restaurant, Lovage

          Pop up park

          Pop up to the park in Sunderland

          The Blackbird Inn, Ponteland

          The Blackbird Inn flies high with its new summer menu

          gymnast

          Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

          Kennedy and Rhind

          Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

          Trending Tags

          • Business
            • All
            • Economy
            • Rural
            • Technology
            • Trade
            • Voluntary Sector
            Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

            Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

            Fishing protest

            Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

            Scottish highlands

            The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

            loo

            A room with a loo

            Newcastle quayside

            Newcastle named as one of the best cities for graduates

            Brexit economics

            New research shows the economic effect of Brexit

            Wetherspoons pub

            Wetherspoons sparkle: has it gone flat?

            Leon Fussell rehearsing

            Unsung Heroes at Queen’s Hall, Hexham

            Houchen and spade

            Vampire daylight: a week in the life of Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor

            Trending Tags

            • Region
              • All
              • Co. Durham
              • North East
              • Northumberland
              • Teesside
              • Tyneside
              • Wearside
              A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

              Inequality and development: from global to local

              South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

              A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

              Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

              Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

              Child poverty protestor

              Child poverty: enough is enough

              Tyne Bridge

              Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

              Wildfire at Witherwack

              “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

              Fishing protest

              Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

              NUFC foodbank

              Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

              Summer, Lower East Side. Weegee Ⓒ ICP (International Center of Photography)

              Classic Street Style: Weegee, Doisneau, Forsyth: three cities, three photographers, three decades

              Trending Tags

              • Opinion
                Titanic coming out of Southampton

                The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

                There is an England

                There is an England

                Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

                The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

                Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

                TV Agency staff jumping in the air

                The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

                North East of County Dublin

                North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

                North Sea oil rig

                Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

                Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

                Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

                close up on a child's eye

                Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

              No Result
              View All Result
              North East Bylines
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home News Politics

              A truly slippery slope: oil, freedom of press and the Polish media

              Since coming to power 2015, the Law and Justice party has been busy dismantling the carefully arranged mosaic of checks and balances

              Michal ChantkowskibyMichal Chantkowski
              20-03-2021 11:34
              in Politics, World News
              Eagle on Polish flag

              The eagle on the Polish flag wjth coat of arms Photo by djukami Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Photo from creative commons

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
              ADVERTISEMENT

              Orlen was once a jewel in the crown of the Polish economy. Several years ago, it was the pride of the nation. The largest oil and gas company in this part of Europe, a state owned giant, which has a stylised eagle (which is also the coat of arms of Poland). It also uses white and red as its company colours- the colours of the Polish flag.

              Orlen has now been tasked with removing the thin protective layer that keeps Poland from becoming a full-blown autocracy- free media.

              Since coming to power 2015, the Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc- PiS), has been busy dismantling the carefully arranged mosaic of checks and balances which had been introduced in the country between 1989, when communism fell, and 2015 and introducing an authoritarian state, as argued here by the former president of its high court.

              This project of turning Poland into an authoritarian state has, unfortunately, been largely successful (as me and my colleague Patrycja Rosmus argue here with particular emphasis on women’s rights), and one undertaken with relative ease.

              The judiciary and civil service are no longer truly independent, and the public broadcaster is now a propaganda machine. It attacks those the government perceives as their enemies; the private media which does not serve PiS’s interest has recently been of more and more concern to the government and its allies, as they uncover the truth about the business dealings, shady practices and outright corruption of the ‘new elites’ (PiS themselves claim that title!

              Back in December last year Orlen bought the Polska Press which had owned the majority of Poland’s regional press from a German company (which faced criticism at home for allowing most of Poland’s regional press to have its independence endangered). While this decision has been portrayed as a business decision by its CEO Daniel Obajtek (despite the fact that most regional media were actually making a loss), journalists in Poland fear that this move will endanger independent local and regional  journalism .

              PiS’s attack on free media did not stop there, as the PiS government promptly proceeded onto attempts to tax the independent media under the guise of taxing social media giants.

              These moves have sent shivers down the spines of Polish journalists, media, most opposition parties, as well as many ordinary people, concerned about the continuous erosion of civil rights and democracy in Poland. It also led to the first ever media strike in Poland in February 2021, when independent media outlets jointly displayed messages warning of the impending danger to press freedom through the “#mediabezwyboru” – “media without choice” campaign. The government has now temporarily backed down on the tax issue.

              Orlen in Plock

              This is not the first time that the PiS government has questioned and endangered pluralism. In 2018, PiS hinted on a reform which would restrict the ownership of media outlets. At that time, the Trump administration, represented by its then ambassador, Georgette Mosbacher, became the unlikely saviour of free media in Poland (TVN, the largest private TV network in Poland is owned by an American company). While at that time, PiS paused to consider its next steps, motivated, not in a small part by their dependence on American support elsewhere, and their pro-US leanings.

              Many are pointing out chilling similarities between what Orlen is doing to the media market, as well as the proposals hinted within the last two years, such as changes to media taxation with the takeover of the free media in Russia some years ago, as well as the more recent events in Hungary and Turkey.

              Unfortunately, the attempts to silence dissenting voices did not stop there, nor did they stop with ordering a state-own oil company to buy regional press.

              Kill the bill on policing

              Ann Schofield March 17, 2021

              Freedom of speech in Poland is now being endangered by PiS politicians and their minions, who seem to be modelling themselves on despots, autocrats and the oligarchs they claim to detest.

              This matters, not just for Poles; if we again start living in a world where autocracies and outright dictatorships are widespread, we risk that such a state of affairs, the erosion of civil affairs, including freedom of speech will become accepted as the norm. 

              I still (vaguely) remember when I was five years old, when communism was falling, and hope was changing hearts and minds. I did not fully understand what was happening but I could understand that adults around me were excited and happy. Reclaiming true freedom of speech was then a major reason as to why this happiness was so prevalent.

              We need to reject the new authoritarianism and the notion that states can decide everything internally, with no regard to international law, human rights and civil liberties. We are human beings first and foremost and have intrinsic rights that cannot be decided by governments, cliques and oligarchies, as intrinsic they are. We can be citizens of a country, but no country can take away those rights and freedoms under the pretext of trying to minimise or neutralise foreign influence, that is because of their intrinsic nature.

              Hence, any government that attempts such actions, is no longer a democratic one. This in turn should have consequences for this government both inside and outside the country. The tide must be turned. 

              ADVERTISEMENT
              Previous Post

              From Tynemouth Priory

              Next Post

              Newcastle memorial to murdered women

              Michal Chantkowski

              Michal Chantkowski

              Michal Chantkowski was the GPEW candidate for the Washington & Sunderland West constituency during the 2019 United Kingdom general election.

              Related Posts

              Flood in York in 2022. Climate change brings about more floods and not just heatwaves and wildfires
              Brexit

              The Tories’ climate change policy does not add up

              byGiuseppe Bignardi
              August 18, 2022
              A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd
              North East

              Inequality and development: from global to local

              bySophie Lively
              August 17, 2022
              Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter
              Business

              Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

              byScott Hunter
              August 16, 2022
              Child poverty protestor
              North East

              Child poverty: enough is enough

              byPeter Benson
              August 15, 2022
              Boys with kite in Kabul
              Culture

              One year since the fall of Afghanistan

              byCarol Westall
              August 15, 2022
              Next Post
              Photo by Louise Brown

              Newcastle memorial to murdered women

              Want to support us?

              Can you help North East Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

              DONATE

              Sign up to our newsletter

              If you would like to receive the North East Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

              NEWSLETTER

              LATEST

              man looking anxious

              Never assume: honesty and mental health

              August 18, 2022
              Flood in York in 2022. Climate change brings about more floods and not just heatwaves and wildfires

              The Tories’ climate change policy does not add up

              August 18, 2022
              A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

              Inequality and development: from global to local

              August 17, 2022
              South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

              A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

              August 17, 2022
              The Rock Showman

              Hardwick Festival is down with the kids

              August 17, 2022
              Ben Houchen by Scott Hunter

              Alleged National Audit Office review of Teesworks

              August 16, 2022

              MOST READ

              man looking anxious

              Never assume: honesty and mental health

              August 18, 2022
              Flood in York in 2022. Climate change brings about more floods and not just heatwaves and wildfires

              The Tories’ climate change policy does not add up

              August 18, 2022
              A sign with the "not equal" symbol is held in a crowd

              Inequality and development: from global to local

              August 17, 2022
              South Tyneside's only black electric taxi

              A sustainable policy for Tyneside taxis

              August 17, 2022

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Audio Beach Brexit Business castle leazes climate activism Co. Durham cost of living crisis Culture defra democracy ducklings Economy Education Environment fire and rescue firefighter Food & Drink food poverty Health Health & Care Home Affairs just stop oil Lifestyle Local Lockdown Northumberland Peace Performance Politics pride month refugee rescue Science Social Media Teesside TV & Radio Tynemouth Tyneside Ukraine volunteer Wearside

              We are a not-for-profit citizen journalism publication. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in the North East and beyond.

              North East Bylines is a trading brand of Bylines Network Limited, which is a sister organisation to Byline Times.

              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Contact
              • About
              • Letters
              • Donate
              • Privacy
              • Bylines network
              • Shop

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Brexit
                • Education
                • Environment
                • UK News
                • Transport
                • World News
              • Politics
              • Opinion
              • Lifestyle
                • Culture
                • Music
                • Poetry
              • Business
                • Economy
                • Technology
                • Trade
              • Donate
              • Newsletter sign up
              • Boriiis Cartoons
              • Authors
              • Audio

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In