Między Agorą a Koloseum

Historia magistra vitae est – this maxim of Cicero (De oratore 2.36) reminds us that we should draw conclusions from what happened in the past in order to avoid mistakes in the future. For several decades we have been struggling with the question of how to repair the media, especially public media. The authors of this article look for inspiration for their reflections in the early 1980s – the time that initiated the Solidarność (Solidarity) revolution in our country. We assumed that subsequent events in our history confirm the truth of a statement made half a millennium ago by Niccolo Machiavelli (1984, p. 111): “Wise men say, and not without reason, that those who wish to foresee the future must consult the past, for human events always resemble those of earlier times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who have been, and ever will be, animated by the same passions; and thus they must necessarily have the same results”.In 1980, a movement was born in Poland that resonated loudly throughout the world. It took the organizational form of a trade union independent of the communist authorities and the symbolic name “Solidarity”. It was a multidimensional movement, touching upon many aspects, including the media. We analyze how, over the more than 40 years that have passed, the role, significance, and also the independence of the Polish media have been perceived. It appears that the attitude of decision-makers toward the media has ranged between an Agora and a Colosseum: either they adopted a deliberative approach, whereby those in power, together with citizens, decide what content is published, or one based on the principle that whoever holds power – by the right of the stronger – should determine what reaches the audience.