Threats to Political Information Environment and Democracy: Polish Politicians’ Perceptions

Abstract

The current political information environment (PIE) is in flux undergoing a series of well documented changes. These changes may affect the conditions for a healthy democracy being oftentimes associated with a growing number of uninformed, selectively informed, or even misinformed citizens. While each of these specific changes has received a lot of individual attention, less is known about the perceptions held by political elites towards the threats and opportunities associated with the PIE. This qualitative study examines the main concerns, challenges, and threats that representatives of political elites perceive with regards to the current political information environment. The analyses are based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with politicians in Poland. The investigation revealed some shared perceptions among politicians across ideological orientations on challenges related to the current developments in the media, as well as differences in perceptions on their causes and potential solutions.