The case of Tomasz Komenda : media discourses and legal consciousness in Polish society

Over recent years in Poland, both the law and media (above all Poland s public media) have undergone enormous changes viewed unfavourably by a large part of Polish society. The vast majority of these changes were the result of the political sphere s gradual penetration into other areas of societal life. Consequently, the law and media are increasingly entangled in various types of political conflicts and collusions, to the detriment of legal regulations and media debates regarding the law. As the latter constitute an important factor in the formation of legal consciousness, their scrutiny can facilitate an understanding of the processes that accompany Polish indifference to infractions of the rule of law. Building upon a discourse analysis of the public debate around one of the most famous legal cases in Poland, this article strives to answer the question as to whether and to what extent images of the law and law-applying institutions that function in the public sphere can affect the legal consciousness of Polish society. Special attention is paid to the images of mutual relations between the law and its addressees presented in the media, with particular emphasis on the agency of legal subjects.