This year, a columnist of a business magazine ridiculed the newly elected Polish president, making some factual mistakes. The president's press office promptly wrote a letter in which the column is described as "a pseudointelectual bla bla bla full of lies". In the following issue, the columnist made fun of both the president, and his office.

The magazine was printed. Only then did its owner, a business magnate, somehow realized what was happening. He reacted adequately, ordering the staff of his publication to cut off a page with the unfortunate column from each and every copy of the magazine. It was cut off.

The story was duly appreciated by the Polish media. The cutting off the page was not typical for Poland but it gives some glimpse into a complex relationship between interested parties.

Regardless the complexity, free media are strong and strongly defended in Poland. We only became a at the end of communism in 1989. But Poland has a long tradition of fighting for freedom of expression through underground press flourishing under all kinds of oppressive regimes.

While media are strong nationally, local press has often lost its independence to local powers. Mostly, they did not survive financially when local politicians withdrew advertising in revenge. Some local editors would distribute their investigative stories in the streets, publish on the web, sue the officials for denying access to information etc.

The consecutive governments are increasingly creative in their attempts to limit free media. So far, they have failed, with a notable exception of so called public media, very popular and rich here. When the previous government developed a serious action against media, it faced so many other problems that the action totally misfired, and backlashed.