# Poland: state oil company Orlen buys the Polska Press newspaper group

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not report whether Orlen changed the editorial line of specific Polska Press titles after the sale closed.

Poland's state-controlled oil company PKN Orlen completed the purchase of Polska Press, a group of 20 regional newspapers reaching millions of readers, from its German owner, over objections from Poland's human rights commissioner.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Poland](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/pl) (RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180)
- Where: PL
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Funding and ownership pressure
- Stage: Silence (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/funding_and_ownership_pressure#stage-silence)
- Ladder note: A state-controlled company bought a group of 20 regional papers reaching 17 million readers; United States funding pressure has cut money and reviewed licenses but has not transferred an outlet's ownership to the state.
- Head of government at the time: [Mateusz Morawiecki](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/mateusz-morawiecki)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Sustained, April 1, 2021. The acquisition closed and was not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

PKN Orlen, an oil and gas company majority owned by the Polish state, announced on December 7, 2020, that it would buy Polska Press, a group of 20 regional daily newspapers and about 120 local weeklies and websites reaching an estimated 17.4 million readers, from Germany's Verlagsgruppe Passau. Poland's national human rights commissioner, Adam Bodnar, warned in March 2021 that state control over the group could let officials influence editorial boards. Orlen completed the acquisition in April 2021 and installed a new management team. Some journalists at member papers, including Polska Times, said their day-to-day assignments had not changed immediately but that they feared future interference. On February 10, 2021, dozens of independent Polish outlets, including national broadcasters, staged a one-day protest against a separate proposed advertising tax, running the message "Media without choice" instead of normal programming, a protest that took place against the backdrop of the Orlen deal.[1][2][3]

Sustained as of the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

Polska Press journalists described uncertainty about their outlets' editorial direction once a state-controlled company held ownership, even before any specific change in coverage was reported.[1]

## Timeline

- 2021-04: Poland: state oil company Orlen buys the Polska Press newspaper group

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Mateusz Morawiecki](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/mateusz-morawiecki) | other | Prime Minister of Poland |
| [PKN Orlen](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/pkn-orlen) | other | Poland's state-controlled oil and gas company |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Polska Press](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/polska-press) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Mission Journal: 'Trench warfare' in Polish press as government eyes next election cycle. https://cpj.org/2021/04/mission-journal-trench-warfare-in-polish-press-as-government-eyes-next-election-cycle/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-04-01).
2. Poland uses state-owned refiner to buy regional media firm. https://www.reuters.com/business/poland-uses-state-owned-refiner-buy-regional-media-firm-2020-12-07/ (Reuters, 2020-12-07).

## Claims cited

[1] A journalist inside the acquired group describing the atmosphere after the sale. Quote: "For the time being, our work has not changed but we are, of course, full of concerns that this scenario could be repeated" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-04-01. Mission Journal: 'Trench warfare' in Polish press as government eyes next election cycle. https://cpj.org/2021/04/mission-journal-trench-warfare-in-polish-press-as-government-eyes-next-election-cycle/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/532, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Statement from Poland's human rights commissioner on the risk of the sale. Quote: "could easily gain influence over editorial boards, and thus transform a free press, which is tasked with producing honest and fact-based criticism of the public administration and the people who man it, into pro-government information and propaganda bulletins" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-04-01. Mission Journal: 'Trench warfare' in Polish press as government eyes next election cycle. https://cpj.org/2021/04/mission-journal-trench-warfare-in-polish-press-as-government-eyes-next-election-cycle/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/629, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Description of the one-day protest by independent outlets. Quote: "Media without choice" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-04-01. Mission Journal: 'Trench warfare' in Polish press as government eyes next election cycle. https://cpj.org/2021/04/mission-journal-trench-warfare-in-polish-press-as-government-eyes-next-election-cycle/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/630, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-poland-orlen-buys-polska-press. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.