INFORMATION INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS

Of government organisations handling information one should mention those organs that regulate the market or stimulate its development. Among the central government offices are also institutions supplying basic information on the economy and conditions of life to citizens. On the basis of these data the government and other institutions can build a picture of reality. This institution is the Central Statistical Office (GUS). GUS data is widely seen as a reliable source, given mainly that the samples it uses are relatively extensive. For comparison, while GUS researches household budgets based on 30,000 samples, CBOS, for example, will research only about 1,000. Over the last decade GUS has also started co-operating with its counterpart in the EU - Eurostat. They have jointly developed methodologies and standards of research.

The most important information market regulatory body is the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT). This is a body issuing licenses for radio and television broadcasting, and is responsible for maintaining order 'on the ether.' It is comprised of nine members chosen by parliament and the president. The terms of each member of the council starts and ends at clearly demarcated points in time, thus ensuring the continuity of the council's work and its independence from politicised appointments.

An important role in the process of communicating with society is played by the government press office, which is split across specific ministries. The role of mouthpiece and co-ordinator is assumed by the Government Press Officer, who has at his or her disposal the Government Information Centre (CIR). The office works both for the internal needs of the government (the prime minister and press officer), as well as communicating with journalists, and via them with society. CIR ensures up-to-date information on the government's work on the web pages of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister: www.kprm.gov.pl

Institutions situated on the other side of the information channel are journalists' unions. Currently in Poland there exist three journalists associations: the Polish Journalists' Association (Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy Polskich - www.sdp.pl; the Association of Journalists of the Republic of Poland - Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy Rzeczpospolitej Polski - www.stow-dzien.org.pl/; and the Association of Catholic Journalists - Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy Katolickich), all of which represent a range of opinions on questions related to the journalistic profession.

The Press Freedom Monitoring Centre is an organisation overseeing the relationship between the authorities and journalists in Poland. It deals with recording violations of the rights of journalists and monitoring the realisation of freedom of expression in the state (www.freepress. org.pl). The Media Ethics Council (REM) is an opinion-forming body overseeing the moral aspects of journalism in Poland.