I have been asked why I have written such lengthy posts. I think this is a very good question. I write everything down in as much detail as possible as it is of great assistance with regard to the writing of a screenplay of this whole affair.
Furthermore, it is my intention to send the link to my blog to every major newspaper in the member countries of the European Union, except Poland; to every member of the European Parliament; to the members of the faculty of law in every major university in Poland; to every legal body I consider would be interested in the workings of the system of justice of the Republic of Poland.
I also do it so that I have as much on record as possible when I choose to publicly name the person referred to, which is what I intend to do as soon as I arrive at the conclusion that it is the right time.
Immediately I found myself in the situation which I have explained at such great length I was advised by just about everyone I spoke to that I should go to the media. People in this country seem to think of the mass media as a refuge for those who seek justice and cannot obtain it by conventional means. In today’s political climate that is almost impossible anywhere in the world, and it is certainly a pointless exercise in Poland. As the journalist and novelist Norman Mailer said as long ago as 1960:
“Once a newspaper touches a story, the facts are lost forever, even to the protagonists.”
I believe it is appropriate, in the world of today, to replace the word ‘newspaper’ with the expression ‘mass media’ in the above quotation. In Poland it is not even a question of the facts being distorted or being lost forever, they cannot even be reported.
As an idealistic young man and a member of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom, I was definitely of the view that the function of the mass media was that of watchdog and a very important part of protecting democracy in a modern society. I genuinely believed that when all else failed the fourth estate would stand up and protect the vulgus mobile, the common masses.
The notion that the Press is the fourth estate rests on the idea that the media's function is to act as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog on the activities of government. Depending on one's view of the media, this is either self-serving rationalisation, or an important component of the checks and balances that form part of a modern democracy. I know which I now believe it to be. In the words of Marshall McLuhan:
“All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values.”
After approaching various journalists and explaining my current predicament I arrived at the conclusion that I would not be helped by any journalist in Poland. They are only interested in a story once it has reached its conclusion. However, surely it is obvious that one does not need help once the case has reached its conclusion. How can a journalist be guardian of the public interest when he sits on his hands when it really matters? Could this have anything to do with certain draconian Polish legislation and a fear of going to prison?
One journalist told me he would make one telephone call on my behalf. The following day he sent me a message that unfortunately he could not make the call because he had to go to Krakow. I was not aware they do not have telephones in Krakow, and that this journalist has still not heard of the mobile phone. Furthermore, it seems as if he has never returned to Warsaw, as I have not heard from him again. This person described himself as a friend of mine until…
Frankly speaking, in Poland the Fourth Estate flatly refuses to do its job, for whatever reasons. As a result we must figure our own way of doing their job for them. The Internet gives us that opportunity.
It has occurred to me that I have said nothing about the other three estates in relation to the fourth. One of my favourite authors summed it up so succinctly that I think I should let him tell you.
"In old days men had the rack. Now they have the press. That is an improvement certainly. But still it is very bad, and wrong, and demoralising. Somebody - was it Burke? - called journalism the fourth estate. That was true at the time, no doubt. But at the present moment it really is the only estate. It has eaten up the other three. The Lords Temporal say nothing, the Lords Spiritual have nothing to say, and the House of Commons has nothing to say and says it. We are dominated by Journalism."
The Soul of Man - Oscar Wilde
In Poland the first three estates are exactly as Oscar Wilde describes; the fourth is worse as it also has nothing to say and is not permitted to say it even if it wanted to. If you don't believe me, ask the people, especially the young who have left Poland in their hundreds of thousands.
So, now let me tell you a little known fact of history regarding the fourth estate. Taken from Wikipedia, no less.
"The term Fourth Estate was used in the early seventeenth century to propose that a government should hold in check a fourth estate of lawyers selling justice to the rich and denying it to a rightful litigant who cannot buy a verdict."
What occurred openly in England 400 years ago occurs in Poland openly today. There really is nothing new under the sun!
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