MedIa In Poland and PublIC dIsCourse

Public discourse is a process of creating, strengthening and disseminating the system of social meanings. Their recognition occurs mainly through the analysis of its elements which refer to texts or their social background, for example discourse participants/institutions. Ideological, political and institutional backgrounds influence the public discourse, for example the socially created system of communicational representations; the coherent system of meanings in different domains. Public discourse is related to how the mass media function. In modern societies, people mainly derive their knowledge about issues crucial for the community from the media, the most important source of cognitive models of reality. So the media create the systems of representation that have developed socially in order to make and circulate a coherent set of meanings regarding an important topic area. In this sense, the public discourses that are present in the media are the platforms to disseminate opinions, attitudes and values (van Dijk 1995: 107–26). Universally available and properly functioning media – media which fulfil their social responsibilities – play a crucial role as pillars of liberal democracy. Independent mass medi