The meaning and mission of the journalism profession were discussed by participants at a meeting summarizing another year of the “Media Forum. Local Development” program, which took on the initiative of the Media Forum Foundation place in Warsaw on October 24, 2025.
Local media and social capital – challenges
Nearly five years ago, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation added a new project to its program offering – “Media Forum. Local Development”, which serves the professional development of local media journalists by improving their skills through training conducted by experienced national and local media journalists and other experts. The program is implemented by the Media Forum Foundation.
“Independent and professional local media are one of the foundations of civil society. In today’s difficult times, we must work together to face the new challenges these media are facing: from the issues of stable financing and independence, through maintaining the reliability and attractiveness of the message, through effective operation in the conditions of the digital revolution, especially artificial intelligence, to the fight against disinformation,” says Jerzy Koźmiński, President and CEO of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.
Program summary
This includes over 400 hours of workshops, meetings with distinguished lecturers and experts, including Ewa Ewart, Magdalena Rigamonti, Jacek Pawłowski, Jarosław Śliżewski, and Andrzej Andrysiak – Journalist of the Year 2024, as well as four unique local media market studies in Poland, over 70 legal consultations, an educational platform, and study visits to the TVN24 editorial office.
“The true measure of success is nearly 500 local journalists who took part in the program. This is a source of great satisfaction for us, confirming that we have managed to meet your expectations,” said Jerzy Koźmiński.
The challenges of contemporary journalism
Piotr Pacewicz, co-founder and former editor-in-chief of OKO.press, spoke about the essence of the journalism profession. He referred to Bolesław Leśmian’s poem about brothers tearing down a wall to see what lies on the other side. He emphasized that journalism requires a similar belief in dreams and perseverance in breaking down barriers, even if the outcome of one’s work is uncertain. “You have to try to break down that wall, and what will be revealed is not always up to us,” he said. His words can be read as a call for perseverance and courage at a time when the profession of journalism is becoming increasingly difficult. In an era of disinformation, political and economic pressure, and declining public trust, journalists face new walls. However, as Leśmian’s metaphor suggests, it is still worth hitting these barriers, because only then can we get closer to the truth.
In turn, Jarosław Gugała, a journalist and radio presenter, emphasized in his speech the importance of journalistic integrity, referring, among other things, to historical examples of media behavior after Hitler came to power. He warned against the dangers of propaganda and reminded his audience that journalism is not just a profession, but a mission and a calling that requires courage, responsibility, and fidelity to the truth in relation to society.
Program graduate Michał Szczęch, a former journalist for Tygodnik Regionalna weekly and the monthly Pismo, currently a radio reporter, in a conversation with Katarzyna Sroczyńska of the Media Forum Foundation emphasized the determination and passion, that are the foundation of a journalist’s work, and the fulfillment of professional dreams. Michał Szczęch talked about his difficult career path – from reporter for a local newspaper to working in radio – emphasizing that determination and commitment allow one to advance through the stages of one’s career and, as a result, fulfill one’s dreams.
Networking and cooperation
Maciej Starczewski and Jowita Kacik of the Media Forum Foundation expressed their gratitude to the participants of the “Media Forum. Local Development” program for their passion, perseverance, and consistency in developing their journalistic skills.
“The group of program graduates now numbers nearly 500 people, and in addition to improving their journalistic skills, the opportunity to share experiences by training participants is very important,” says Maciej Starczewski, President of the Media Forum Foundation. Katarzyna Sroczyńska of the Media Forum Foundation echoes this sentiment: “Apart from organizing these training courses (…), we are very keen to create a space (…) where people working in local media can meet and share their experiences, learn from each other, but also give each other support, and I think (…) it really works.”
“We joke that if we were to set up a real editorial office, it would be the best editorial office in the world. Each of us has experience in a different field of journalism. We have writers, we have radio journalists, we have television journalists, so it’s simply the crème de la crème of journalism,“ says Anna Kondraciuk, editor-in-chief of Nowy Kurier from Siemiatycze, a graduate of the “Media Forum. Development of Local Media” program.
