Polish media are an important part of the life of each and every one of us – everyone living, residing and working in Poland. They are part of our cultural heritage and democratic system. And as such, they must survive.
Throughout their history, including the recent past, they have stood guard over freedom, democracy, citizens’ right to public debate, truth and responsibility for the spoken and written word. It is in Poland’s interest that this should not change.
Unfortunately, we must face the threat posed by the dominance of global technology giants in the Polish media market. These are extraordinarily powerful and influential organisations. As a result of their rapid development, they have taken over the lion’s share of the advertising revenue that has so far funded the Polish media. With impunity and without payment, they use content created by us, while transferring the profits abroad.
Therefore, to survive, we need the support of a democratic state. The same state that we have always defended with the same passion. Unfortunately, once again, the state is failing in this role.
When legislation on copyright in the digital world was being passed, our demands were completely disregarded. And we had not asked for much. We expected the introduction of mediation mechanisms between platforms and publishers in the event of a dispute over royalties owed to us, fair compensation for the online exposure of our content, and protection against its copying. These were our main demands, completely ignored by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Sejm.
The matters we are writing about are crucial to the Polish media, ambitious journalism and reliable debate on public affairs. The authorities’ reluctance to address this problem demonstrates a lack of responsibility and short-sightedness. Today, it is not yet too late.
We appeal to those in power, to deputies and senators of all political options, to listen to our arguments and amend the harmful law.
Handing these areas over entirely to global technology players will not only seriously impoverish us as a society, but may also threaten the democracy we know. This must not be allowed to happen. Politicians – do something not only for foreign technology giants, but also for Poland, Polish women and Polish men!
Polish publishers, editorial offices and journalists