Taking Over the Role of Law Enforcement by National Television: The Case Study of Women’s Strike Protests in Pandemic-Ridden Poland


Published: Dec 29, 2022
Keywords:
Women’s Protest Poland police public television abortion
Kamila Rezmer-Płotka
Abstract

The study aims to show how the media took over the role of law enforcement by categorising who and how broke the law during women’s protests. These protests took place during the second wave of the pandemic. It all started with the judgment of the Constitutional Court, which decided to restrict abortion law in Poland. The method used in the study is a qualitative analysis of sources published on Tvp.info. The analysis made it possible to answer the question of how public television assessed and categorised the activity of protesters and why it is possible to talk about taking over the functions of the security services. As a result, the way the protests were reported became a form of mediatised control of protest. The research hypothesis is that National Television, as the ruling party's propaganda tool, was enabled in order to take over the police function  of ensuring public order and security in crisis situations in relation to the protests. Based on the analysis, the paper introduces recommendations to the ruling party and subordinated national television in order to restore neutrality and realise the original functions of national television.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Chmielewska, M., Druciarek, M., Przybysz, I. (2017). Czarny Protest. W stronę nowego „kompromisu aborcyjnego”? Available at: https://obserwatoriumdemokracji.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Raport-ISP_Czarny-protest.pdf (Accessed: 04/11/2022).
Combes, H., Fillieule, O., translated from French by J-Y., Bart. (2011). Repression and Protest Structural Models and Strategic Interactions. Revue françause de science politique, 61(6): 1047–1072.
Davenport, C. (2007). State Repression and Political Order. Annual Reviews. 10: 1–23.
Earl, J., Soule, A. S., McCarthy, D. J. (2003). Protest under Fire? Explaining the Policing of Protest. American Sociological Review 68(4): 581–606.
ISAP (1992). Ustawa z dnia 29 grudnia 1992 r. o radiofonii i telewizji. Available at: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=wdu19930070034 (Accessed: 02/11/2022)
ISAP (1993). Ustawa z dnia 7 stycznia 1993 r. o planowaniu rodziny, ochronie płodu ludzkiego i warunkach dopuszczalności przerywania ciąży. Available at: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19930170078 (Accessed: 02/11/2022).
Osiewicz, P. (2020). Limitations to the Right to Freedom of Assembly in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Women’s Strike. HAPSc Policy Briefs Series 1(2): 195–200.
Rak, J. (2021). Framing Enemies by the State Television: Delegitimization of Anti-Government Protest Participants During the First Wave of the Pandemic in Poland. Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, 29(2-3): 157–175.
Rak, J. & Rezmer-Płotka, K. (2022). Civic Education for Democracy During Crisis: Measuring State Media Engagement. The New Educational Review 69(3): 82–94.
Rak, J. (2022). Delegitimization strategies as a means of policing protesters online during the pandemic in Poland. Revista de Sociologia e Politica 30(1): 1-19.
Rezmer-Płotka, K. (2020). Policy on Public Assemblies in Times of Crises: Recommendations Concerning the Strategy of Militant Democracy. HAPSc Policy Briefs Series, 1(2): 201–207.
Sobczak, B. (2017). Telewizja jako narzędzie propagandy politycznej. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Polonica 3(41): 133–158.
TVP.info, (2022). „Babcia Kasia” skazana. Jest wyrok sądu. Available at: https://www.tvp.info (Accessed: 05/11/2022).

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)