“The theory dreams, the practice teaches”. Professional ethics of journalists

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to trace the process of shaping journalistic ethics in Poland. The author also drew attention to the three-level self-control of the media: at the level of the individual, editorial staff and the entire professional environment. In autumn 2019, parliamentary elections took place in our country. The period of the election campaign, especially in times of media politics and mediatization of politics, carries various temptations, journalists may try to influence the results of voting. Then the theory (written principles, codes or ethical regulations) is tested in practice. In this article, the last part is devoted to this issue. To this end, selected legal acts were reviewed within the framework of the subject matter.