THERE IS NO FREEDOM WITHOUT SOLIDARITY 30 years of Gazeta Wyborcza /AG Photo: Anna Biała FOREWORD | 30 years of the Gazeta Wyborcza Adam Michnik Photo: Sławomir Sierzputowski/AG Editor-in-Chief hirty years ago, we started more Our ideal has always been a free than modestly, on the premises Poland and human freedom in Poland. of a former nursery. Editorial Poland, a common homeland for all its Tmeetings sometimes took place in the citizens. Poland of truth and reconcilia- sandbox. There was little space for tion, dialogue and tolerance. Poland, anything as the journalists wrote their a state without hostility and hate. Poland articles sitting at low children tables. secure within NATO and democratic 2 The first edition of Gazeta Wyborcza within the European Union. 3 opened with the words of Lech Wałęsa, Today, Gazeta Wyborcza is being “There is no freedom without Solidarity”. taken over by a new generation. Still, Since then, Gazeta Wyborcza has chan- we all are thinking with gratitude about ged beyond recognition, as has Poland. our readers who have remained faithful Today, Gazeta Wyborcza is part of and who usually begin their corre- a media group listed on the stock ex- spondence to us with sacred words: change. It is growing dynamically on the “My name is Jan Kowalski and I have internet, and for the last thirty years, been a reader of Gazeta Wyborcza it has remained an important, opinion- since the first edition...” setting voice in the Polish debate. I can assure you of one thing, our CONTENTS We were born when Poland was Friends and Readers - that even as the reborn. We are also a part of the great years pass on, we will never stop caring historical success - civic, economic and for Poland, and that democracy, free Foreword ..............................3 democratic - although the Polish demo- courts, human rights, the Constitution Photo: Sławomir Sierzputowski/AG cracy today is being tested in the fight and Europe will always have a devoted All About Elections Again.....4 with the nationalist/populist government. defender in Gazeta Wyborcza. Digital First ...........................6 World in Images ...................8 Community Newspaper .....10 On the Side of Women ...... 12 Stories Worth Revisiting ..... 14 Local Impact ....................... 18 More Than Just a Newspaper ..................... 20 Wyborcza Live ....................24 Numbers Behind Us .......... 26 Photo: Tomasz Wierzejski/AG Photo: Tomasz ▲ Editorial meetings in the first hedaquarter of Gazeta Wyborcza - a nursery at Iwicka street ALL ABOUT ELECTIONS AGAIN | 30 years of Gazeta Wyborcza Gazeta Wyborcza ALL ABOUT ELECTIONS AGAIN hirty years ago the democratic part (180,000) directly reaches the has been given to us for good and it opposition led by Lech Wałęsa computer, tablet and phone screeds can only get better. We fell victim to our under the banner of Solidarity of our modern readers in the form Polish fatalism. Tsat down for discussions with its hated of a paid subscription. They are our Today we are back to the beginning. enemy - the communist party. Until then, ambassador as they share our content On our 30th anniversary, our fate has both sides spoke to each other with the on Facebook and Twitter. Although it still looped back on itself. Gazeta Wyborcza language of conflict: protests, strikes, happens that, like in the good old days, is again Election Gazette. rocks, police batons, tear gas and intern on the streets paper couriers hand out Gazeta Wyborcza is not just 450 camps. There were also deadly bullets. Gazeta Suwerena, which many times journalists and editors. It is not just 804 Martial law claimed several dozen lives. has delivered information and words of people in Warsaw and 21 local newsro- And then something amazing happe- support to people who in huge numbers oms. Gazeta Wyborcza is You. Jarosław Kurski ned. Poles, instead of dying on the have turned to the streets to defend First Deputy Editor-in-Chief barricades, which has been a tradition, democracy, the Constitutional Tribunal, decided to talk. Not even one window free courts, free media and teachers. was broken. The Round Table brought There is no editorial independen- partially free elections and free press. ce without financial independence. This is why Gazeta Wyborcza in Fortunately, our readers are the main In order for a traditional Polish means the Election Gazette. guardians of our independence, who Because as the first independent new- testify this each day through their deci- newspaper that we 4 spaper in the Soviet bloc from the Elbe sion to buy our newspaper both in the were 30 years ago 5 to Vladivostok was to present to the analogue and digital worlds. Polish citizens the first really indepen- This is a great responsibility for us. not to get lost in the dent and democratic candidates to the We feel that we are more to them than era of information and new national Parliament and Senate. just a source of information, of which It worked. All but one of the Soli- there are many in the internet world. information technology darity candidates won seats in the new We are THEIR newspaper, which descri- revolution, we must parliament. bes and co-defines their world. To commemorate that victory we Through our mission, expressed be co-creating this kept the name Gazeta Wyborcza. in the words “It’s not all the same to revolution. Although today we give this an additio- us” and “There is no freedom without nal meaning. solidarity”, from the very first editions Jerzy Wójcik Each edition of our newspaper is of Gazeta Wyborcza it became not just Publisher a choice for us. Each day we choose: a free medium, but an institution of democracy, separation of powers, civic life. respect of the constitution, human This year is unique because it Through our mission, rights, free speech, conscious and brings together all of the anniversaries expressed in the words faith, equality under the law, tolerance, in which Gazeta Wyborcza played an separation of Church and State, Europe. essential part. The first non-communist “It’s not all the same We choose everything that speaks to the prime minister, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, to us” and “There is character of our newspaper: on the one took officer 30 years ago after Adam hand, about the liberal dimension of Michnik’s article, “Your president, our no freedom without an individual and solidarity in the social prime minister”. Twenty years ago, solidarity”, from the very dimension. Poland joined NATO, leaving behind our A democratic society is an aware national and historical fatalism. Fifteen first editions of Gazeta and well-informed society. In order for years ago we became a member of Wyborcza it became not a traditional newspaper that we were the European Union. Our membership 30 years ago not to get lost in the era of changed the face of Poland... just a free medium, but information and information technology There is a saying in Poland: “Don’t an institution of civic life. revolution, we must be co-creating this worry about how bad it is because it will revolution. And even though a large get better. Only worry when it’s good part of our output (100,000 copies because it will get worse”. Unfortuna- Front page on average) can be bought in kiosks tely, we did not worry enough. We over- of the first edition of in as a printed copy, an even larger slept a little. We decided that democracy Gazeta Wyborcza - May 8th 1989 ⊲ DIGITAL FIRST | 30 years of Gazeta Wyborcza This required completely new skills the tea-cher’s strike or protest of the that had previously not been seen at handicapped people. Together with the newspaper. Some member of the our readers, we stand to defend those team have news experience, but many in need. They buy access to our articles came to us from other businesses. and we transfer the money to a worthy We have people specialising in UX, cause. Number of digital subscriptions Digital FIRST performance marketing, business The community can be also seen (in thousands) analysts and those with e-commerce every day in our comments section. he readership of Gazeta In 2022, Gazeta Wyborcza wants experience. And who would have Only subscribers have access to the 200 Wyborcza has continued to grow to have 327,000 digital subscribers. thought that a newspaper would need discussions because we value their in recent years thanks to digital In 2018, we had 170,000. This is the a copywriter? opinion the most. We can see which 170 Tsubscriptions. We have more than 15th highest number in the world, even But this range of specialists gives texts they appreciate and how they 170,000 of them, giving us the 15th though we compete with newspapers us the power to effectively transform comment on them. We have to be spot in the world. At the same time, with a global reach. the newspaper, discover why the careful because every error will be 150 thanks to joining the digital world, we The Online Strategy team is re- readers are on board and how to invite spotted. 133 Danuta Breguła are rediscovering the value of journa- sponsible for the everyday contact with new generations of readers. The conclusions are encouraging: Head of Digital Strategy lism and are guaranteeing it a future. subscribers. We create offers, build Of course, this transformation those who are always with us expect In February 2014, hardly anybody sales systems, serve clients and care has a direct effect on our company’s high quality. They only want proven, 100 predicted success. Gazeta Wyborcza about the money and the satisfaction financial results. The business model is reliable information. This is the content 100 was the first daily in Poland that de- of our readers.