The language of public debate in Poland is becoming increasingly antagonistic, simplified, and vulgar. The phenomenon ties in with the progressive mutual separation of communities representing different beliefs. The organisation’s observations have proven that radicalisation does not only embrace opinions presented in electronic and paper media, but also the way in which these opinions are voiced. Radical communication has taken on a variety of forms: aggressive, offensive, anti-democratic, xenophobic, homophobic, vulgarly anti-clerical, etc. The rise of radicalisation tendencies may prove a threat to liberal democracy.
The project purpose was to support the democratic debate in Poland by raising awareness of increased radicalisation in public debate.
The radicalisation phenomenon in the Polish public debate was analysed; related information was published to the benefit of journalists, politicians, and non-governmental organisations on www.obserwatorium.kulturaliberalna.pl, a dedicated website.
The project involved research of the radicalisation phenomenon, involving the monitoring of mainstream media. Radicalisms were recorded and subject to quality analysis. Approximately 150 analyses, reports, and popular science articles were drafted and published on the Public Debate Observatory’s sub-website. Two policy papers on poor public debate practices (verbal discreditation of debate opponents, excess use of historical content) were drafted and published. The Observatory’s findings were presented in national (i.a. in the “Gazeta Wyborcza” daily, in the TOK FM radio station) and international (i.a. “The Economist, “Osteuropa”) media. Five public seminars on debate radicalisation were organised, with i.a. migration crisis issues as case studies.
Project beneficiaries included 100 seminar attendants and 8,000 recipients of information published on the Public Debate Observatory’s sub-website.