INFORMATION WARFARE IN THE PRESS AS AN INSTRUMENT OF DISINTEGRATION OF THE POST-COMMUNIST POLITICAL SCENE IN POLAND IN THE CONTEXT OF ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (December 2002 – October 2005)

The involvement of the Fourth Estate in the reconstruction of the political scene between 2002 and 2005 revealed more than just the weakness of those who should have been keeping an eye on politicians. Above all, it was crucial evidence of the imperfection of democracy in Poland. Many considered democracy to have a purely declarative and facade nature, claiming it was even some embryonic form of mediocracy. The essence of the problem consisted in the fact that we have never initiated any public debate on the subject. Instead, there is a permanent conflict in our country. Antagonization of the society is the idea of political elites in Poland for concealment of their own ineptitude, negligence and inability to build a serious state in the heart of Europe. The press (or the media in general), acting in the interest of politicians, utilizes mudslinging techniques (“black PR”) to incite and fuel negative emotions inspired by politics and worldview.