In this article, we examine how media policy changes aid dedemocratisation in Poland. Unfolding the logic underpinning the new politics of media regulations, this article argues that media policy paints a nuanced picture of democratic backsliding. Our Foucault-inspired discourse analysis of media policy archive focuses on the rise of illiberal trends at the cross-roads of the Polish hybrid media system, democracy and society. We find these trends display the features of centralisation of power, cultural politics, political partisanship and social polarisations. We explain these notions, using the concepts of "executive aggrandisement" and "politicisation" of public service media sector.

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STATES OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS IN THE STATEMENTS OF THE PRESS SPOKESWOMAN OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION The Russian Federation currently plays a key role in the South Caucasus region. The aim of the article is to attempt to answer the question of how and to what extent Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are present in the message presented by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The briefings of the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, which took place between July and December 2020, i.e. during events important for the region, were subject to quantitative and qualitative analysis. The South Caucasus, in the light of the spokesperson’s statements, is not a priority for the Russian diplomatic service, but as a result of the foreign policy it is creating, it appears relatively regularly. The key topics in the analyzed period include the COVID-19 pandemic and the new phase of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The thought-out narrative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which served to shape the perception of the region and strengthen the Russian position, should be emphasized.

A clear differentiation between media sources and electorates within the legacy media ecosystem may help to explain the limited importance of the alternative media (focused on fake news and hoaxes) as relevant information sources. In a political and analytical discourse, the alternative media can be seen as an “alternative” to the dominant liberal media and discourse. Within this context, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński were active in “liking” other profiles on their FB pages. Morawiecki liked some media, mostly TV and radio channels from his constituency region. His focus was more on the national identity and national interests in an economic sense. However, he also liked a press magazine that is a borderline case between ideologically heavily biased and disinformation scene in Poland.