Polska Press

Polska Press Group is one of Poland’s largest press publishers, commanding a leading position in regional and local print media. The group continues to operate 20 daily newspapers across the country’s fifteen largest regions, roughly 100 local weekly titles, and nine magazines, including Nasza Historia, Moto Salon, Moto Salon Classic, Strefa Biznesu, Strefa Agro, Tele Magazyn, Super Tele, TV Pilot, and Tele Program.

Media assets

Publishing: Dailies- Dziennik Bałtycki, Dziennik Łódzki, Dziennik Zachodni, Gazeta Krakowska, Gazeta Wrocławska, Głos Wielkopolski, Kurier Lubelski and Polska Metropolia Warszawska, Express Ilustrowany, Dziennik Polski, Gazeta Pomorska, Kurier Poranny, Gazeta Współczesna, Głos Dziennik Pomorza, Nowa Trybuna Opolska, Echo Dnia, Gazeta Codzienna Nowiny, Gazeta Lubuska, Express Bydgoski, Nowości Toruńskie; Local weeklies- 100 titles; Magazines- Nasza Historia, Moto Salon, Moto Salon Classic, Strefa Biznesu, Strefa Agro, Tele Magazyn, Super Tele, TV Pilot, Tele Program

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State-Managed/Owned (ISM)

Ownership and governance

In March 2021, PKN Orlen, Poland’s state-controlled oil and gas company, completed the acquisition of Polska Press from the German publishing group Verlagsgruppe Passau. Former CEO Dorota Stanek resigned upon the takeover.

Under the PiS-aligned leadership of Orlen (notably CEO Daniel Obajtek), this acquisition raised serious concerns about editorial independence and media capture, driving Poland to plummet in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index.

The new government installed in Poland after the 2023 elections announced plans to sell PKN Orlen to a private investor. By early 2024, a new board under Orlen’s current CEO, Ireneusz Fąfara, had been installed, and editorial management at Polska Press was formally separated from commercial operations; important editorial positions were filled via open recruitment, aiming to reinforce editorial freedom 

In September 2025, Orlen confirmed that it was preparing to sell Polska Press. Talks are ongoing with potential buyers, with Wirtualna Polska Media named among those interested. The government views the sale as part of efforts to depoliticize the media landscape in Poland.

Source of funding and budget

While Polska Press does not publicly disclose its standalone revenues, generated mostly from advertising, for 2024 or projections for 2025–2026, external sources shed light. Orlen had paid approximately PLN 210 million for Polska Press in 2021 (including goodwill); at the time, the net asset value of the publisher was estimated around PLN 131 million. Orlen has stated that Polska Press posted a first-quarter net profit in 2025, as part of efforts to make it profitable ahead of an imminent sale.

Editorial independence

Following the 2021 takeover, Orlen swiftly initiated what many described as a purge of editors, replacing several regional editors-in-chief with journalists tied to pro-PiS or state media outlets. Reports confirmed mass resignations and dismissals, with journalists and deputies leaving titles like Dziennik Zachodni, Głos Wielkopolski, Gazeta Krakowska, and more.

Since early 2024, management has officially disconnected editorial oversight from commercial influence and introduced open recruitment for newsroom leadership.

The removal of Orlen from Norway’s sovereign wealth fund “watch list” in February 2025 underscores progress in media freedom compliance. The fund owns a stake in Orlen.

Once the sale of Polska Press is finalised, the company will be removed from our state media database. In the meantime, given that no significant editorial bias has been observed in its publications over the past two years, we continue to classify Polska Press in the Independent State-Managed (ISM) category within our State Media Matrix taxonomy.

September 2025