Journalism — capitalism — democracy: The topicality of Ludwik Krzywicki’s thought

Abstract

In my article I recall the article written 131 years ago by Ludwik Krzywicki entitled “Capitalism and journalism”. Krzywicki, a Polish sociologist working in the Marxist paradigm, ruthlessly, but with great cognitive insight, formulated remarks regarding the field of journalism, which is entered and taken over by capitalism. The assessment of this fact is unequivocal: capitalism kills journalism by, among other things, exploitation of journalists’ creative forces, resignation from in-depth reflection in favor of providing sensational information, submission to publishers and shareholders. I compare Krzywicki’s diagnosis with the latest publications describing and diagnosing the field of journalism, and more broadly the media, to indicate that, firstly, that the thought of the Polish researcher is up-to-date, which stems from the fact that capitalism remains a mode of production focused on economic profit, and secondly, that capitalism in its neoliberal form threatens democracy.