Manipulation, fake news, clickbait – in the era of social media, not only is the way we consume information changing, but also its form. Are new media and tech giants setting the rules of the political game? How this reality is taking shape was discussed during one of the panels of the Polish-German Forum 2025 “Community for Difficult Times”.
Politics and the media influence each other, hence the title of the meeting: “Politics at the Service of the Media, Media at the Service of Politics”. It draws attention to the interdependence of both spheres, which together create social reality. The media, referred to as the fourth estate, offer political reach and visibility, while politics provides them with information and current topics. However, the titular “services” can be considered much more broadly – the invited guests devoted their attention to this issue: Peter Frey – former editor-in-chief of ZDF, Christiane Hoffmann – until May 2025 deputy spokesperson of the federal government of Germany, Magdalena Kicińska – editor of “Pismo. Magazyn Opinii”, Tomasz Lejman – correspondent for the news channel Polsat News and the Interia.pl portal, and Prof. Judith Möller – Scientific Director at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research and the Hans Bredow Institute.
Analysing the new political situation in Germany and in Poland and the role that the media played in this year’s election campaigns in these countries, the debate participants noted that the power of traditional media is weakening in favour of social media platforms, and that the deepening crisis of trust in public media (especially in Poland) is increasing the already significant social divide. According to Magda Kicińska, during the presidential campaign in Poland, the boundary between informing and expressing emotions was crossed. What we expected from the media did not match what we received – such inconsistency undermines the function of the media as a reliable source of information.
Part of society does not want to hear about uncomfortable political issues and therefore prefers to rely on simplified politics that seemingly finds solutions to previously complex problems. This contributes to labelling politicians and creating paradigms that categorise their image. The media often fail to maintain proper objectivity and present their own political option as better than the opposing one. Such a phenomenon deepens polarisation and leads to even greater social stratification.
The debate addressed not only the topic of politics, but also the challenges facing contemporary journalism. The world is constantly changing, as Tomasz Lejman emphasised, and the media no longer look the way they did just a few years ago. The threat of spreading disinformation, the decline of trust in journalists, and the growing power of new media are contemporary problems that journalism is grappling with. In the age of the Internet, the global Big Tech industry influences the algorithms and content displayed to audiences. Should the EU therefore regulate and introduce special legislation against tech giants? The debate guests noted that the answer is not straightforward and that it is difficult to control the virtual space. According to Tomasz Lejman, the EU should rather focus on supporting home-grown tech start-ups than on imposing further regulations on the industry. On the other hand, Christiane Hoffmann emphatically stated that the way these platforms operate threatens democracy and called on politicians to take greater responsibility for this issue.
The conversation also considered how to improve the position of journalists in the era of influencer popularity, since the number of consumers of traditional media such as television and the press is currently declining. Judith Möller stressed that the reach of journalists who deliver reliable information, operating independently of the influence of internet algorithms, needs to be increased. In her remarks, she also drew attention to the existence of information bubbles that surround us particularly on social media. Their effect was visible in the political campaign on the TikTok platform. By feeding us content aligned with our views, the application increases reach and click-through rates. This in turn means that each of us sees the kind of politics that the algorithm suggests. Möller concluded that although politicians should be present on TikTok, she would not recommend that users seek information there. Moreover, TikTok itself does not have as great an influence on voter preferences as one might think. It does play an important role, but other factors also matter here.
Although the discussion at times took on a somewhat pessimistic tone, ultimately the participants agreed that journalism will endure, because we need reliable information. Christiane Hoffmann stated that it is trust in specific journalists that will chart the course for the industry. The entanglement of politics and the media is undoubtedly a serious problem, but as the debate showed, we must not throw up our hands; instead, we need concrete solutions so that quality journalism can continue to fulfil its function.
The panel “Politics at the Service of the Media, Media at the Service of Politics” as part of the Polish-German Forum 2025 was organised by the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation with the financial support of ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.
Text: Milena Skóra, Julia Florkowska, Kinga Skotnicka