Dziennikarzom wstęp wzbroniony: kryzys na polsko-białoruskiej granicy w 2021 r. jako wydarzenie (nie)relacjonowane przez media
Journalists barred: the 2021 crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border as an event (not) covered by the media

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the study was to identify sources of information about the migration crisis on Poland's eastern border in 2021. Since the Polish government imposed a state of emergency in the border area and banned journalists from entering it, an emergency situation arose that is particularly suitable for studying the sources and directions of information flow. The 2021 Polish-Belarusian border crisis is an example of a global problem (migration) with a local context that limited the power of online platforms and portals due to geographic location and geopolitical considerations. Research methods: the study was conducted during the crisis (September-December 2021); therefore, the ethnographic method, meta-analysis of reports on the crisis, and quantitative analysis of Facebook and Twitter accounts and websites of selected media were used. The results showed that online platforms acted as communication channels for government sources – Polish and Belarusian – during this crisis. Accounts of Polish government agencies, such as the Border Guard, had an advantage in the number of followers over accounts of NGOs such as Grupa Granica (Border Group). The Polish government's ban on journalists entering the border zone resulted in visual messages from Belarusian media and news agencies being circulated internationally (e.g., BBC and CNN online). In the case studied, online platforms were successfully used by political actors and as such acted as digital intermediaries without interfering with the flow of information.

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