Polish Press Agency (PAP)
The Polish Press Agency (Polska Agencja Prasowa, PAP) is Poland’s national news agency. Its history dates back to 1918, when a group of journalists established the Polish Telegraphic Agency (PTA). During communism, PAP operated as a state-owned outlet, serving as the official mouthpiece of the regime.
After 1990, the agency gradually gained greater operational independence, although it has remained financed and owned by the state. In May 2018, PAP launched an English-language news portal in response to what its managers described as inadequate coverage of Poland in foreign media. In January 2024, the portal was shut down due to lack of measurable impact.
Media assets
News agency: PAP
State Media Matrix
Ownership and governance
PAP’s governance structure—its Management Board, Supervisory Board, and advisory Programming Council—is appointed by the National Media Council (RNM), following the same model used for TVP and Polish Radio. The Polish Treasury remains its sole owner.
After the opposition’s victory in the 15 October 2023 elections, a coalition of the Civic Coalition (KO), Third Way (Trzecia Droga), and The Left (Lewica) led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk began reforming the country’s public service media. Their stated goal was to transform these outlets into independent, impartial, and pluralistic institutions. However, previous President Andrzej Duda, aligned with the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, has blocked many of these initiatives.
In late December 2023, Duda vetoed a public media subsidy bill, calling the government’s moves an “illegal” seizure of public media. In response, the Ministry of Culture announced on 27 December 2023 that TVP, Polish Radio, and PAP would be placed into liquidation, following the dismissal just before Christmas of PiS-loyal managers.
On 20 December 2023, veteran PAP journalist Marek Błoński was appointed President of PAP, replacing Wojciech Surmacz. Błoński had worked at PAP for more than 20 years, serving as head of its Katowice branch and deputy editorial director of PAP Media (2014–2015). His appointment was made by a newly installed management board appointed by the Ministry of Culture. Paweł Kostrzewa, with a background in journalism and business development, was brought onto the management board, further solidifying the agency’s commitment to editorial independence and the restoration of public service standards.
Source of funding and budget
By law, PAP must provide coverage of the Sejm, Senate, President, Council of Ministers, and other state institutions. For this, it receives an annual state subsidy, which makes up around a third of the overall budget. The rest comes mainly from sales of content, distribution services, and advertising.
In 2024, PAP recorded total revenues of PLN 65.67 million, a marginal 0.1% increase from 2023. Net sales rose slightly from PLN 68.02m to 68.23m. Domestic revenues increased from PLN 62.66m to 63.77m, while foreign revenues fell from PLN 5.36m to 4.46m. General news services brought in nearly PLN 19.28m (up from 16.94m in 2023); photo services rose to 7.65m; information distribution to 7.83m; and the press centre to 5.11m. At the same time, media services revenue dropped from 7.53m to 5.24m, and “other” income from 2.7m to 1.58m. The state budget subsidy increased from PLN 20 million to PLN 22 million in 2024.
For 2025, PAP projected revenues of PLN 75.49m against operating costs of PLN 113.77m. Salaries were expected to rise to 58.45m and outsourced services to 27.64m. The state subsidy was projected at 22m.
Editorial independence
The 1997 PAP Act explicitly states that “the Polish Press Agency cannot be subject to legal, economic, or any other control by ideological, political, or economic groups.” PAP has long balanced state funding with varying levels of political pressure. In the early 2010s, it managed to strengthen its independence, but the 2016 National Media Council Act placed it formally under a partisan-controlled body, eroding this principle, with the National Media Council appointing a programming council dominated by conservative journalists.
Despite these pressures, PAP has maintained a reputation for professional reporting and has employed respected journalists. Moreover, following leadership changes in December 2023, with Marek Błoński appointed CEO, PAP has taken a clear step away from PiS-era political capture. The agency continues to uphold professional reporting standards and has not displayed the partisan bias characteristic of TVP during the year 2025, maintaining a more neutral wire-service profile. The Tusk government has also pledged to depoliticize public service media, including PAP, creating conditions for structural reform. Also, with less than half of its budget coming from state subsidies and the rest generated commercially, PAP demonstrates reduced financial dependence compared to TVP or Polish Radio. For these reasons, in 2025 we move PAP into the Independent State Funded/Managed (ISFM) category of the State Media Monitor typology.
September 2025