Gazeta Wyborcza (Polish pronunciation:[ɡaˈzɛtavɨˈbɔrtʂa]; The Electoral Gazette in English) is a Polish nationwide daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It was launched on 8 May 1989 on the basis of the Polish Round Table Agreement and as a press organ of the trade union "Solidarity" in the election campaign before the Contract Sejm.[10][11] Initially created to cover Poland's first partially free parliamentary elections, it rapidly grew into a major publication, reaching a circulation of over 500,000 copies at its peak in the 1990s.
It is published by Agora, with its original editor-in-chief Adam Michnik,[12][13] appointed by Lech Wałęsa,[14]Gazeta Wyborcza is one of Poland's newspapers of record, covering the gamut of political, international and general news from a liberal perspective.[15][16][17]Gazeta Wyborcza also publishes thematic supplements addressing topics such as economy, law, education, and health, including Duży Format, Co Jest Grane 24, and Wysokie Obcasy.
Since its founding, Gazeta Wyborcza's investigative journalism has played a key role in shaping the Polish public opinion, such as its coverage of the Rywin affair, the Skin Hunters scandal in 2002, and the PKN Orlen scandal in 2004. In recent years, Gazeta Wyborcza has emerged as a leading liberal voice on issues like the separation of church and state and civil liberties, including women's rights and LGBT rights, which has sometimes resulted in conflicts with Poland's conservative PiS-led government (which was in power between 2015 and 2023). As of June 2022[update], Gazeta Wyborcza had over 290,000 digital subscribers,[18] and 80,000 print sales.[19] In 2020, Gazeta Wyborcza was the 10th most read newspaper in Europe.[20]
^Graff, A. (2010). "Looking at Pictures of Gay Men: Political Uses of Homophobia in Contemporary Poland". Public Culture. 22 (3): 583–603. doi:10.1215/08992363-2010-010.
^Ryszard Filas; Pawe Paneta (2009). "Media in Poland and Public Discourse". In Andrea Czepek; et al. (eds.). Press Freedom and Pluralism in Europe. Bristol: Intellect. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2014.