Page 179 - Communication and Citizenship Journalism and the Public Sphere

168 COMMUNICATION AND CITIZENSHIP

if only by upsetting old divisions between the power structure and the
establishment in general on the one hand and the opposition on the
other.
This can set in train one of at least three processes:

1 If a national consensus on the shape of the new social order can be
worked out and if that new order proves both durable and effective
in meeting the nation’s material and non-material needs, then the
reasons for the existence of different public spheres will no longer
apply. Audience research studies in Poland show that even now the
broadcast media’s credibility and appreciation indices soar
whenever there is social peace, stability and a relative sense of well-
being. So, the opposition public sphere will wither away, or will be
marginalized. The Church media will remain and even no doubt
grow stronger, but they will not be voices from outside the system,
and even less will they constantly challenge it. The media system will
be pluralistic, also in political and ideological terms, but in the main
will proceed from a fundamental acceptance of the social order
which in turn will enable it to accommodate and accept that
pluralism.
2 If the new order proves as divisive as the old one, then at least two
public spheres—the official and the opposition one—will emerge
out of the present process of change. However, this can hardly
happen by way of a straight swap, with old opposition media
becoming the new official ones and vice versa. For one thing, it is
hardly likely that Solidarity newspapers or new radio and television
stations will now become straight government media. However, the
irony of the situation is that having been developed partly by
former journalists from the establishment media, they will now
themselves represent the new establishment, alongside, for
example, the media controlled by the Polish United Workers’ Party
which, too, will be part of the new ruling coalition. For another
thing, in addition to broadcasting (a government agency, but so far
run by the party’s Central Committee) and the Polish Press
Agency, the Polish government has so far directly controlled just
one (!) newspaper. A great majority of newspapers and periodicals
are published by the above-mentioned publishing concern
controlled by the party. So, the government’s ability to develop a
new official public sphere speaking directly for itself (assuming that
it will want to do so) will be limited, at least at first. In addition, it
is likely that new legislation will transform broadcasting into a