POLAND
The Geography of Poland: Poland falls right in the physical center of the European continent. Poland is bordered to the northeast by Russia with their North borders reaching the Baltic Sea. To the South of Poland lies the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the West side of Poland is bordered by Germany. Warsaw, Poland's capital lies close to the center of the nation. Poland's natural landscape can be categorized into three sections: the mountains, the highlands, and the lowlands. The lowlands are approximately 568 feet above sea level compared to the highland which is approximately 650 feet above sea level which make up around three fourths of Poland's land according to Britannica. Near the southern part of the country, the Carpathian Mountains stand tall as one of Poland's most scenic areas according to IntoPoland. Written by: Samantha Emory
The History of Poland: In the 1500’s, Poland was considered the continent's most powerful nation and the largest state in all of Europe according to Britannica. During the Partitions of Poland, around two and a half centuries later in 1772, Poland diminished as a nation. The Polish land was dispersed into what is now Austria, Russia, and Prussia. In 1918, Poland was restored as a nation only to endure two world wars. World War II began in 1939 and had devastating effects on Poland. Historically, Poland has always had a large Jew population, which was almost entirely abolished in the Holocaust. After losing their independence again due to the Holocaust, Poland became a satellite state of the Soviet Union and spent half a century under totalitarian rule. In 1989, the Polish government fell, bringing the communist rule to an end according to Tim Lambert. This was the beginning of the nation's change into a democracy. By the 21st century, Poland had become known as a thriving market based democracy and became a member of NATO. The country's official language is Polish which comes from the West Slavic branch of the Slavic languages. The current population of Poland is roughly just over 38 million people according to Intopoland. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Polish Government: The Polish constitution that was adopted in 1997 remodeled Poland's system from a socialistic single-party system to a multi-party one, while adopting a free market economic system according to GlobalEdge. The Republican of Poland, the official government name, is made up of a republic government. According to the 2022 Index of Economic Freedom from the Heritage Foundation, Poland's overall score as a country is a 68.7/100 which makes Poland the 39th freest nation in the world. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Polish Media Landscape: Polands large population encourages a strong media presence within the nation. The media and linguistic market in Poland accounts for a large portion of Europe. According to the EUI, “A relatively stable economic situation and steady growth constitute a supportive environment for development of various media services, including new online media.” Despite the many opportunities that come from the developing digital age and increase of online media broadcasting the Polish media environment is full of propaganda supporting the government. The public television, along with many other public news broadcasters, serve the Polish governing right-wing populist party rather than the public according to Kowalewski. Written by: Samantha Emory
How to verify news in Poland: In Poland specifically, fake news comes in a variety of different ways. And the disinformation messages being disseminated through mass media can vary in terms of extremism, all the way from disinformation about international relations to extreme disinformation focused around acts of violence, according to a study in the journal of psychological research in cyberspace. Written by: Blake Ullmann
The study’s analysis of a group of posts containing disinformation found that the most often topic for disinformation in the country was content about specific politicians both inside of Poland and abroad. Surprisingly, commercial disinformation wasn’t found to be particularly prominent in the study’s analysis. Instead, the study’s authors found prominent anti-government and anti-nationalist tendencies in a majority of fake news content analyzed. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Prominent Journalists in Poland: As citizens of the country become more aware of disinformation, they’re frequently turning to mass media to help solve the problem, as well. In Poland, citizens often rely upon some of the country’s most popular newspapers, and the journalists that work at them. Two of them are the Polish Press Agency and Gazeta Wyborcza. Additionally, Tomasz Piatek and Wojciech Jagielski are two of the most awarded journalists in Poland. Piatek is an independent journalist who recently was convicted by the Polish government for writing a scathing book about a powerful businessman in the country. Jagielski is a renowned journalist who has worked for Gazeta Wyborcza for many years, garnering an impressive reputation as a journalist. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Current Media Issues in Poland: In Poland, The Law and Justice Party (PiS) holds a majority of the influence over media since going into power in 2015. Since coming into power, the PiS has gotten rid of independence and undermined freedom for public media. When it comes to citizens receiving media, private media is more trustworthy compared to public media. But, many non-state media outlets are owned by foreign concerns, making them the most influential and powerful when it comes to questioning the authorities (BBC News).
Furthermore, in 2021, Poland’s National Broadcasting Council suspended the extension of independent television channels license. These channels are operated in Poland but are owned by the American franchise. This is said to “put pressure” on independent media because these independent channels challenge the government. This suspension has affected millions of people who turned to these channels for information in Poland. But, independent channels are continuing to act on behalf of their viewers, not of politicians (Euronews).
Public media has faced issues with the government as well as independent media. Public media has been transformed into government propaganda. The government has taken control of the public media and is threatening private media as well. Government officials attack critical journalists and attempt to restrict the first amendment. This has resulted in journalists being banned from reporting in certain locations, verbal abuse, and punishments up to prison sentences (Poland RSF). Written by: Lexie Foxworthy
Most-used News Publications in Poland: Polish Press Agency and Gazeta Wyborcza. Written by: Lexie Foxworthy
The Czech Republic
The Geography of The Czech Republic: The Czech nation lies in the heartland of Central Europe and is almost entirely surrounded by mountains. Along the southeast border lie the Carpathian Mountains, while the Sumava Mountain range lies along the southwest border meeting Germany. These vast mountain ranges protect the Czech Republic from the extremities that come from the extreme winters. Since the Czech is landlocked, it is strategically located alongside a few of Europe's most significant and oldest land routes such as the Moravian Gate, the historical military corridor separating the Danube in Central Europe and the North European Plain, according to Country Reports. Written by: Samantha Emory
The History of The Czech Republic: The Czech Republic lost their independence in 1620 during the Battle of White Mountain against the Hapsburgs Empire. For 300 years the Czechs were ruled under the Austrian Monarchy. The end of World War I brought the end of the monarchy over the Czech Republic, which is when Czechoslovakia was formed. For almost 75 years, the Slovaks, the Czechs, and the Moravians remained united as a common state after the war. Then on January 1, 1993, the common state split peacefully leaving the two separate nations of the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia. Both nations were immediately recognized by their European neighbors and the US. The relationship between these two states have stayed peaceful throughout the years despite a few occasional altercations according to History Central. The Czech Republics official language, Czech, comes from roots in the Slavic branch of Indo-European languages. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Czech Republics Government: Prague is the nations capital city. The Czechs population is approximately 10.7 million people. The Czech Republic operates under a parliamentary democracy, where political rights and civil liberties are generally well respected. According to the Freedomhouses’ country index, the Czech Republic economic freedom score is ranked at 74.4, making their economy the 21st freest economy in the world. However, in the past couple of years, the Czech Republic has experienced a multitude of corruption scandals along with many political disputes which has hindered the country's normal legislative activities. The influence of powerful business entities within the political arena are becoming more and more visible according to the Freedom house. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Czech Republics Media Landscape: According to Reporters without Borders, the Czech Republics landscape can be categorized into three main trends: the notable concentration of large media groups, the increase of new independent media outlets, and the secure presence of well respected public media outlets. The law of the country guarantees the publics free access to information. Despite the laws promises, the Czechs press freedom is threatened by the increased concentration of privately owned media, followed by the increased pressure on public broadcasting. Written by: Samantha Emory
How to verify news in the Czech Republic: A lot of disinformation seen in mass media inside the Czech Republic is disseminated from various disinformation campaigns against the country from Russia. A large amount of disinformation created by Moscow is intended to weaken the Czech Republic’s western tendencies and give rise to Russian sympathizers, both inside and outside the Czech government, according to a report by the European Values Center for Security Policy. However, inside the Czech Republic, different groups latch onto disinformation and spread it to further their ideologies. Specifically, content countering the European Union and NATO tend to be more visible here than other countries across Europe. In fact, the report finds that far right and far left groups spreading this form of disinformation have had some success in doing so. Anti-western propaganda has moved firmly into the mainstream discourse inside the Czech Republic. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Prominent journalists in the Czech Republic: As is the case in a lot of countries across Europe, online media and social media networks are primarily responsible for the rise and spread of disinformation in the country. However, the government is taking steps to counter the onslaught of fake news, and citizens in the country are more carefully crafting their media habits to combat fake news. To do this, they rely on prominent journalists such as Pavla Holcová, an investigative journalist who worked with the ICIJ to publish the Panama Papers, and Sabina Slonkova, an investigative reporter at Dnes. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Current Media Issues in the Czech Republic: In the Czech Republic, the government supports most media. This causes the media to face pressures from the government and decreases press freedom. This has led to many concerns about the lack of rules on distribution within media outlets. Along with the lack of rules, there have been concerns about political influence over certain decisions within media outlets. Along with this, famous political leaders have targeted journalists and expressed their dislike through remarks such as one from Miloš Zeman. Zeman joked saying “I love journalists, that’s why I may organize a special banquet for them this evening at the Saudi embassy” alluding to a Saudi journalist’s death which led to an outcry against Saudi Arabia (Media Bias Fact Check). Attacks on journalists from government officials have led to citizens’ distrust of journalists (Czech Republic RSF). Written by: Lexie Foxworthy
Most-used News Publications in the Czech Republic: National News Agency and Lidovky. Written by: Lexie Foxworthy
Slovakia
The Geography of Slovakia: The Slovakian nation lies close to the center of Europe, bordering: Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Poland. The Slovakian land is full of beautiful landscapes and breathtaking scenery. The country's landscape is a mixture of lowlands, mountains, valleys, lakes, and forests. The Carpathian mountain range accounts for almost half of the country's northern parts according to life in Slovakia. In the further southwest region of the country is where Bratislava is located, the country's capital city. Written by: Samantha Emory
The History of Slovakia: For a large portion of the 18th century Slovakia was in a state of stagnation. However, towards the end of the century Slovak nationalism began to increase. In the beginning of the 19th century a Slovak National Revival began. The 1920’s were full of prosperity and growth for the nation, but like most of the world they suffered greatly from the depression of the 1930’s. In 1946, a majority communist party emerged and acquired power over the coalition government. Then in January of 1968 the Slovakian native, Alexander Dubcek, became the head of government and started the Prague Spring, a reformation movement. Censorship was abolished in 1968 after, “the Party published its Action Program promising ‘socialism with a human face’ in other words democracy and freedom of speech,” according to Tim Lambert. During the June 1990 multi-party election the process of transforming Czechoslovakia into a market economy began. Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 and then joined both the Euro and NATO in 2009. During the 21st century, the Slovakian economy grew strongly and steadily. Now the Slovakian population is approximately 5.5 million people according to Worldometers. Slovak is now the official language of the country, which comes from the West Slavic subgroup of the Indo-European language. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Slovakian Government: The official government name for the nation is Slovak Republic which acts as a Parliamentary Republic government according to GlobalEdge. Slovakia has a somewhat shaky economic and political outlook while also housing a relatively volatile business environment. According to the Freedomhouse, the Slovakians parliamentary system regularly features multiparty elections followed by peaceful power transfers between rivaling parties. Civil liberties are generally protected as Slovakia is very free country. Written by: Samantha Emory
The Slovakian Media Landscape: Following the murder of Jan Kuciak, a Slovakian investigative journalist, in 2018, the government has made serious implications to help the media presence and improve the press freedom in the country. Slovakia implemented, “The Press Act as well as the Broadcasting Act guarantee to publisher, broadcaster and news agency respectively right to get truthful, in time and comprehensive information from public bodies. The Press Act, the Broadcasting Act and the Code of Ethics of a Journalist guarantee protection of information sources,” according to Media Landscapes. Written by: Samantha Emory
How to verify news in Slovakia: Fake news surrounded the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia from the start, according to an article by the Balkan Insight. And, the onslaught of disinformation relating to the pandemic had a tangible effect on the country’s vaccination campaign, with the percentage of adults receiving their vaccine lagging behind the rest of the European Union by 30% at times. One contributing factor to this is Slovakia’s population’s tendency to believe conspiracy theories that others are more than willing to spread around the country. A large percentage, around 37%, of the country’s population believed conspiracy theories about the pandemic, specifically believing that infection statistics were inflated and the pandemic was being used as a form of population control. As with the Czech Republic, online media sites are the main driver behind conspiracy theories in the country, with outlets commonly popping up claiming to know the ‘only truth’ behind the pandemic. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Independent fact-checkers in the country have recently begun working to counter the rush of disinformation into the country’s media ecosystem. These fact-checkers have begun to blacklist sites that spread disinformation with local PR firms, who then make sure their ad money doesn’t find its way into the website’s coffers, depriving them of a valuable stream of revenue. Written by: Blake Ullmann
While the disinformation situation in the country has gotten out of control, and efforts to fight back are unlikely to fully solve the problem, citizens of Slovakia have begun to recognize the problem facing their country, and large numbers are demanding changes to laws to counter the rise of disinformation. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Prominent Journalists in Slovakia: When it comes to finding verified information inside Slovakia, citizens turn to prominent journalists like Zuzana Hanzelová, a journalist for The Slovak Spectator, and Monika Tódová, an investigative reporter at Denník N. Written by: Blake Ullmann
Current Media Issues in Slovakia: Media in Slovakia is mainly free and independent despite pressure on journalists from the government. After the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018, a political earthquake broke out. It demonstrated how journalists were not protected by officials and were continuously exposed to various forms of harassment (BBC News). There have been many reforms since the murder to bring justice but the progress has been slow (Media Fact Check). The government in Slovakia has been planning on improving press freedom and media independence ever since the murder of Kuciak in 2018. Since 2020, the government has promised to implement new laws that improve the protection of journalists and increase media transparency. Once again, the progress has been slow.
Small private media outlets have been thriving due to the support from their audiences but larger privately owned media outlets are struggling due to insufficient licensing fees. Another issue within the media is political and gender based. Slovakia is a mainly conservative country and the media is mostly liberal. For gender, journalists face sexual harrassment due to leaders encourgaing verbal attacks. All in all, since the murder of Kuciak and his wife, it created a major turning point for jouornalists. Government officials are working to improve the environment for journalists and implement new laws to benefit them (Slovakia RSF). Written by: Lexie Foxworthy
Most-used News Publications in Slovakia: TASR, SITA, and Dennikn. Written by: Lexie Foxworthy