Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza (Polish pronunciation: [ɡaˈzɛta vɨˈbɔrtʂa]; The Electoral Gazette in English) is a Polish nationwide daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It was launched on 8 May 1989 on the basis of the Polish Round Table Agreement and as a press organ of the trade union "Solidarity" in the election campaign before the Contract Sejm.[10][11] Initially created to cover Poland's first partially free parliamentary elections, it rapidly grew into a major publication, reaching a circulation of over 500,000 copies at its peak in the 1990s.
Type
- Adam Michnik
- Helena Łuczywo
- Piotr Niemczycki
- Juliusz Rawicz
- Ernest Skalski
Adam Michnik
Jarosław Kurski
- Mikołaj Chrzan
- Roman Imielski
- Aleksandra Sobczak
- Piotr Stasiński
- Bartosz T. Wieliński[2]
Wojciech Bartkowiak[3]
8 May 1989
Warsaw
Poland
It is published by Agora, with its original editor-in-chief Adam Michnik,[12][13] appointed by Lech Wałęsa,[14] Gazeta Wyborcza is one of Poland's newspapers of record, covering the gamut of political, international and general news from a liberal perspective.[15][16][17] Gazeta Wyborcza also publishes thematic supplements addressing topics such as economy, law, education, and health, including Duży Format, Co Jest Grane 24, and Wysokie Obcasy.
Since its founding, Gazeta Wyborcza's investigative journalism has played a key role in shaping the Polish public opinion, such as its coverage of the Rywin affair, the Skin Hunters scandal in 2002, and the PKN Orlen scandal in 2004. In recent years, Gazeta Wyborcza has emerged as a leading liberal voice on issues like the separation of church and state and civil liberties, including women's rights and LGBT rights, which has sometimes resulted in conflicts with Poland's conservative PiS-led government (which was in power between 2015 and 2023). As of June 2022, Gazeta Wyborcza had over 290,000 digital subscribers,[18] and 80,000 print sales.[19] In 2020, Gazeta Wyborcza was the 10th most read newspaper in Europe.[20]
History and profile[edit]
Founding[edit]
Gazeta Wyborcza was established in accordance with the arrangements of the Round Table,[21][22] as a press organ of the Solidarity Civic Committee in the election campaign before the parliamentary elections in 1989.[23] Initially, the daily was to be called Gazeta Codzienna, and the adjective "election" was to function only during the election campaign. The first eight-page issue was published on 8 May 1989, in a circulation of 150,000 copies.[24]
Gazeta Wyborcza was first published on 8 May 1989,[25] under the rhyming masthead motto, "Nie ma wolności bez Solidarności" ("There's no freedom without Solidarity"). The founders were Andrzej Wajda, Aleksander Paszyński and Zbigniew Bujak.[26] Its founding was an outcome of the Polish Round Table Agreement between the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland and political opponents centred on the Solidarity movement. It was initially owned by Agora SA.[27] Later the American company Cox Communications partially bought the daily.[27]
The paper was to serve as the voice of the Solidarity movement during the run-up to the 1989 parliamentary elections (hence its title). As such, it was the first legal newspaper published outside the government's control since its founding of regime in the late 1940s.
It was prepared by 20 journalists, most previously associated with the underground weekly Tygodnik Mazowsze. Michnik convinced Wałęsa to name him the editor-in-chief.[24][28] Helena Łuczywo and Ernest Skalski became Michnik's deputies.[24] The first editorial office was located in a former kindergarten in Mokotów.[29]
According to the editors, the first edition was small (150,000 copies) and relatively expensive due to the limited supplies of paper made available by the government. A year and a half later, the daily run had reached 500,000 copies. In September 1990, during the breakup of the Solidarity camp following the collapse of the communist government, Wałęsa revoked the paper's right to use the Solidarity logo on its masthead.[30] Since then, the Gazeta Wyborcza has been an independent newspaper broadly aligned with the centre-left and liberal position.[31]
After the Round Table talks during the presidential crisis, on 3 July 1989, an article by Michnik, with the headline: "Your president, our prime minister," where he opted for the election of the president on the recommendation of the Polish United Workers' Party and at the same time entrusting the mission of forming a government to a representative of the "Solidarity,"[32] postulating "an alliance of the democratic opposition with the reformist wing of the ruling camp." This proposal is currently interpreted as a proof of sensing the aspirations of the Solidarity camp to take over more power than was agreed at the Round Table,[33] but officially met with opposition.[24] Nevertheless, it was actually implemented: while Wojciech Jaruzelski, the current First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, took over the position of president, the opposition, thanks to the votes of former allies of the communist party, formed the first non-communist government in Eastern Europe with Tadeusz Mazowiecki as prime minister.[34][35]
From the second half of 1989, the environment concentrated in the editorial office of Wyborcza sympathized with the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki , and at the same time was in conflict with the representatives of Tygodnik Solidarność.[24] These antagonisms correlated with the political conflict known as the "War on the Mountain", during which Wałęsa allied himself with the Civic Committee faction represented by the brothers Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński against Mazowiecki.[32][36] Adam Michnik supported the Prime Minister's environment, as a result of which, in September 1990, the National Commission of "Solidarity" adopted a resolution aimed at taking away Wyborcza the right to place the "Solidarity" stamp on the vignette. It was argued that "the bias of articles aimed at discrediting and ridiculing the chairman of Lech Wałęsa" and explaining that "Gazeta is not an information organ of "S", but a private company."
At that time, Tygodnik Solidarność, whose editor-in-chief at the time was Jarosław Kaczyński,[37] published columns by columnists such as Romuald Szeremietiew,[38] who accused the newspaper of manipulating information, including concealing events . As a result, the daily lost the right to use the union's logo and the slogan "There is no freedom without Solidarity". In addition, Wałęsa demanded the dismissal of Michnik (since July 1990 belonging to the Movement of Citizens, Democratic Action party ) from the post of editor-in-chief. Michnik resigned, but his resignation was not accepted by the members of the editorial office, and therefore he remained in office.[24] A group of former oppositionists associated with Lech Wałęsa left the editorial office, which was the result of a dispute within the editorial office with a group of post-Solidarity circles representing different views.[39]
Criticism[edit]
Gazeta Wyborcza used its influence to whitewash former communists, particularly General Jaruzelski.[49] After the fall of real socialism, the paper was criticized for taking part in an "intensive propaganda campaign" and particularly for rigorously trying to revamp Jaruzelski's image.[50]
Awards[edit]
Gazeta Wyborcza received many Grand Press awards; in 2014 it was honored with the title of the Newspaper of the Twenty-Five Years.[71] The title of Journalist of the Year awarded during this ceremony was given in 2007 to Marcin Kącki,[72] in 2010 – Artur Domosławski,[73] in 2011 - Andrzej Poczobut,[74] in 2013 - Mariusz Szczygieł,[75] and in 2014 - Piotr Andrusieczko.[76] In other categories, awards were given to Katarzyna Klukowska, Włodzimierz Kalicki,[77] Jacek Hugo-Bader, Adam Wajrak,[78] Ireneusz Dańko, Dariusz Janowski, Marcin Fabiański, Leszek Talko,[79] Anna Bikont, Artur Włodarski,[80] Tomasz Patora , Marcin Stelmasiak, Anna Fostalkowska,[81] Roman Daszczyński, Krzysztof Wójcik, Angelika Kuźniak, Włodzimierz Nowak,[82] Wojciech Staszewski,[83] Magdalena Grochowska, Maciej Samcik,[84] Joanna Wojciechowska,[85] Paweł Wiejas,[86] Piotr Głuchowski, Marcin Kowalski, Magdalena Grzebałkowska,[87] Urszula Jabłońska,[88] Agnieszka Kublik , Bartosz T. Wieliński,[89] Donata Subbotko,[90] Elżbieta Sidi,[91] Anna Śmigulec,[92] and Grzegorz Sroczyński.[93] Journalists of the magazine were also awarded during four Sharp Pen awards ceremonies.[94][95][96][97]
In 2004, the editorial office was awarded the "Drummer of the Greater Poland Uprising" statuette, awarded by the Main Board of the Society for the Remembrance of the Greater Poland Uprising 1918/1919.[98]
In 2022, Gazeta Wyborcza and the Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation received the Golden Pen of Freedom award for fighting for independent journalism and carrying out its mission despite pressure from the authorities.[99][100]