Last year in Poland was marked by heated discussions linked with the provision of European Union Recovery Funds, which have been promised to the Polish government on condition that it successfully restores the rule of law, infringed through multiple reforms of the ruling coalition. Introduced over the last seven years, they largely touched upon the judiciary system, increasing its dependence on the legislative branch.

Special infographics explaining in detail what conspiracy theories are, how they spread and how to counteract them were published in September 2020 by UNESCO[1] – the United Nations agency responsible for education, fostering a scientific worldview and ensuring high intellectual standards. In these attractive graphic documents, we get – among other things – a condensed definition of conspiracy thinking.

In the past years, illiberal political regimes emerged in Poland and Hungary. One of the victims to these regimes are media. Freedom and independence of media in those countries are now under pressure from various angles, such as legal regulations and outright political pressure. The joint research of Project: Polska (PL) and 21 Research Centre (HU) is focused on small, rural media outlets and rural society in general.