OPINION
Across Europe today, a troubling pattern is emerging: left-wing governments and activist bureaucracies are working aggressively to silence conservative voices.
This is happening not through open debate or democratic persuasion, but through the capture of institutions — universities, cultural bodies, courts, and increasingly, the media.
Poland is now the latest front in this struggle. And surprisingly, the next decisive battle may be decided not in Warsaw, Brussels, or Berlin, but in a courtroom in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein.
At stake is the future of Cyfrowy Polsat, Poland's largest private broadcaster and one of the last major media platforms offering space to conservative commentators.
Its founder, Zygmunt Solorz, built the company from nothing into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. For decades, he has maintained control through two family foundations established in Liechtenstein — an arrangement common for European entrepreneurs seeking stability across generations.
But a lawsuit brought by some of his children, who are seeking control of those foundations, now threatens to upend not only Solorz's life’s work, but the media balance of an entire nation.
If they succeed, and if the Liechtenstein court removes Solorz from control of the foundations, the likely result is that Cyfrowy Polsat's conservative-leaning news division will be swiftly reshaped under new leadership.
The current news director, known for maintaining a pluralistic approach and resisting the ideological purges happening elsewhere, could be replaced by someone aligned with Poland’s liberal governing parties.
The outcome would be predictable: fewer conservative voices, fewer traditional viewpoints, and a media landscape suddenly tilted heavily left.
This is not speculation.
We have already seen what happens when Poland's liberal coalition gains control over media institutions.
After taking power, they moved rapidly to purge the public broadcaster, TVP, removing conservative journalists, canceling programs, and restructuring the newsroom overnight.
International observers described the speed and scale as unprecedented in modern Europe.
The journalistic circles of Warsaw are abuzz with speculation on the next news director signaling a liberal upheaval at Polsat.
Now imagine that same ideological project moving into the private sector—this time aided by a foreign court.
This is why the Liechtenstein case matters not only to Poland, but also to the United States. Poland has long been one of America’s strongest and most reliable allies — a nation that has stood firmly with the United States on defense, NATO, energy security, and the future of transatlantic cooperation.
Our partnership has always been grounded in shared values: freedom, democracy, and a belief in open debate.
But those values are undermined when media freedom is threatened by political actors who seek to shape the public square for their own advantage.
As conservatives in America know all too well, when the left controls the media ecosystem, alternative viewpoints are dismissed, marginalized, or silenced outright.
What's happening in Poland is part of a much larger European trend.
In Germany, France, and even the United Kingdom, conservative commentators have been pushed out of newsrooms, cultural institutions, and public broadcasting under the guise of "reform."
The Liechtenstein case risks opening the door to the same kind of consolidation in Poland.
It is simply wrong that a court in another country — one with no democratic accountability to the Polish people — should be considering whether to strip a company from the entrepreneur who built it and who clearly never intended to relinquish control.
This is especially true when the consequences of such a ruling would reverberate far beyond family inheritance.
It would reshape the political and media environment of an entire nation at a pivotal moment in European history.
Americans should care because a strong, independent, and balanced media landscape in Poland helps ensure stability and democratic resilience in a country that plays a crucial role on NATO's eastern flank.
And when Poland is strong — politically, economically, and institutionally — America is stronger also.
The principles at stake here are universal.
A free society must safeguard the right to speak, to disagree, and to participate in public life without fear that political power will be used to silence dissenting voices.
Whether in Warsaw or Washington, the erosion of media pluralism threatens the very foundation of democracy.
The Liechtenstein court must recognize the gravity of what is before it.
This is not merely a family dispute — it's a decision which could alter the ideological landscape of a nation and embolden a broader movement across Europe seeking to suppress conservative thought.
Poland deserves better.
Europe deserves better.
And America, as our ally, should take notice.
Marcin Mastalerek served as Chief of Cabinet in the Chancellery of President Andrzej Duda of Poland. He was previously a member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2015.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.