PRACTICE OF POLITICAL PARTIES’ ACCESS TO PUBLIC MEDIA IN POLAND: THE CASE OF THE GDAŃSK BRANCH OF POLISH TELEVISION

Media in political communication processes shape the way citizens perceive politics, which translates into political attitudes, opinions, and behaviours.Recognised as one of the main political actors, they serve as a tool for conducting politics.Public media, in particular, are expected to maintain reliability and pluralism.The purpose of this article is to present how legal regulations in Poland concerning equal access of politicians to public media are reflected in practice.As a case study, the weekly political commentary programme "Och, ta polityka" ('Oh, That Politics'), broadcast on TVP Gdańsk, was selected.It constitutes an important space for discussions on Polish and international politics, involving representatives of various parliamentary parties.