Zasada wolności prasy w prawie polskim

Abstract

One of the basic principles of democratic legal order is liberty of the press principle. The analysis of the regulations underlying and guaranteeing liberty of the press principle in the Polish law leads to a conclusion that the above-mentioned principle may be considered in two basic aspects: as liberty of publishing and liberty of journalist activity. The content of the liberty of the press principle in both aspects is extensive indeed, but not absolute. Both liberty of publishing and liberty of journalist activity undergo limitations. Those limitations may be introduced in situations strictly defined in the act, and they take the shape of either formal or content related limitations, and ratio legis of their introduction is the protection of values that, from the legislator’s point of view, are more momentous than liberty of the press and deserve protection even at its cost.