Causes and consequences of ambivalence in Germany’s policy towards the Eastern enlargement of the European Union

Germany’s support for the Eastern enlargement of the European Union was a key factor in the successful completion of this idea in 2004. Germany’s policy towards the enlargement was, however, ambivalent and for this reason perceived as controversial. This thesis examines and explains the reasons of this paradox. German policy makers endorsed the idea of the Eastern enlargement of the EU for the reasons deriving from the national identity, based on a history-related narrative, and from the fact of the successful unification of Germany. As Chancellor Helmut Kohl captured it — the unification of Germany and the unification of Europe were two sides of the same coin. Eastern enlargement was, however, a novel idea and was changing the existing European order and concepts of the European integration. It faced therefore powerful constraints both in the shape of still existing, though declining, Cold War structural grip, as well as of the conflicting with the enlargement interests of other member state of the EU and domestic economic preferences and interests. It caught German policy makers between powerful and mutually conflicting challenges and faced them with a need to choose strategic priorities for the foreign policy. The choice was continuity of multilateralism, the principle of the foreign policy of the West Germany. This choice turned the enlargement policy into one of the premises of the grand strategy of the German Europapolitik. Examining the ambivalence in the enlargement policy allows not only to explain its causes but also to observe a process of changing the concept of the European integration. This doctoral thesis is a result of the research conducted at the London School of Economics and Political Science under the supervision of Prof. William Wallace and Dr. Ulrich Sedelmeier

Intymność kontrolowana : granice prywatności w erze dominacji mediów elektronicznych

An inclination for being interested in a private sphere rather than a public one can be accounted for what Stanisław Ossowski called a natural human need, “a need of impressions”. According to the author of U podstaw estetyki what directs us is “the need to become integrated in other worlds, to experience the events that the reality cannot give us, at least in from the point of view of an observer”. Electronic media, in view of its specificity, it being speed and scope, intensified the process that started as early as in the second half of the 19th century, and was related to the press popularization. The need for the actual news, the necessity to first of all fill in the columns, and then the broadcasting time on the radio and television, moved the receivers' attention and the media itself from the public into the private sphere, especially in its most intimate dimension. It has become more interesting and attractive, all the more as it combined two human inclinations; for exhibitionism on the one hand, and for voyeurism on the other, contributing, at the same time, to the creation of new media genres like reality. The very process seems to be not only popular, but also impossible to be stopped

Rozgłośnie BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale i Voice of America w komunikowaniu międzynarodowym : od propagandy do dyplomacji publicznej

The chief purpose of BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale, and Voice of America in the Context of International Communication: From Propaganda to Public Diplomacy is to analyse the role radio stations fulfil for international communication nowadays in the light of the roles they served in the past (that is, the times when radio dominated). During the interwar period and right before World War II, new radio stations came to being that aimed at broadcasting content targeted at the listeners abroad. Initially, these radio stations were transmitting mostly official messages or functioning as private point-to-point communication; in both cases, they functioned similarly to telegraphs (assuming one addresser and one addressee). Along with not only the development of the transmitting and receiving devices but also the widening of our knowledge on radio waves, radio turned into a mass medium, thanks to various “freaks,” including investors and other radio lovers. Having access to the network of correspondents and a powerful radio signal, radio stations back then were able to provide live coverage of the events that interested listeners all around the globe. The capacities of radio were significant during World War II as well; precisely, it ceased to serve communication purposes exclusively, and was included into military arsenal (used not only in operations and diversion actions, but also for jamming and scouting). This military conflict showed that the possibility of reaching listeners abroad – that is, the citizens of adversary, allied, and neutral states – had been of enormous importance, whereas the ability of shaping the opinions of foreign citizens had become a crucial part of contemporary warfare. The relevance of radio for international communication was indisputable also during the Cold War. Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Voice of America, BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale, Deutsche Welle, Radio Madrid, Radio Moskwa, and Radio China International were fundamentally engaged in both ideological war and public diplomacy. Simultaneously, various international processes changed the position radio occupied among other media; the “Golden Age of Radio” reached a significant decline in the 1950s, when the dominance of radio gave way to the advent of television, whereas from late 1990s on the situation of all media was revolutionised by the birth of the Internet. As a result, digitalisation, convergence, shifts in reception and use of media – not to mention other broader phenomena, including the dominance of audiovisual culture – affected not only listeners and their preferences (inclining to fragmented radio programmes), but also ratings and marketability of radio stations. Finally, since political communication has privileged the audiovisual paradigm, and domestic policy has gradually become a media issue, radio has withdrawn in this area as well, giving primacy to television and new media. Because of the aforementioned factors and shifts, it becomes vital to carefully reconsider the contemporary and international status of radio. After all, one might be tempted to think that radio is no longer in its heyday, whereas both governments and individual listeners do not deem it as a genuine informative medium or a means capable of reaching the foreign public opinion. This book, therefore, explores how Radio France Internationale, Voice of America, and BBC World Service changed diachronically in reference to other radio stations alike, points to rules they follow and formats their programmes take, and analyses their recent activity in international communication between 2014 and 2018. Chapter 1 introduces theoretical vocabulary international communication relies on, and juxtaposes its various definitions with related cultural phenomena, including transcultural communication, political communication, propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, media diplomacy, and soft power. Aside from analysing these concepts, this chapter also proposes an innovative definition of international communication and its graphic model. Chapter 2 is diachronic, and it focuses on the discovery of radio waves and the invention of radio read from the technical perspective, which determines the position of radio for international communication. Moreover, the early forms of radio are recalled with regard to their significance for foreign communication. Finally, the development of radio and broadcasting in France, United Kingdom, and the USA is presented with an emphasis put on the differences between their broadcasting models. Chapter 3 is devoted to the development of international broadcasting, dividing it into three stages: 1) the early 20th century (until the 1930s), when radio waves were being tested, the first experimental stations came to being, and first international radio stations were founded, including those in Nauen and Zessen (Germany), Sainte-Assise and Le Post Colonial (France), Eindhoven and Heuzen (Netherlands), Chelmsford (United Kingdom); 2) the World War II period, in which the uses of radio for international military communication are analysed in reference to propaganda radio stations (Radio Berlin, Radio Hamburg, Radio Stuttgart, Radio Tokio) and its prominent figures (William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”), Paul Ferdonnet (“the Stuttgart Traitor”), Mildred Gillars (“Axis Sally”), Ive Togure (“Tokyo Rose”)), British pirate radio stations functioning in response to the Axis propaganda (for instance, Gustav Siegfried Eins), the radio stations of French Resistance with a special emphasis put on Radio Brazzaville, that is, Charles de Gaulle’s chief means of international communication, and, finally, Voice of America serving for public diplomacy purposes; 3) the Cold War period, in which the objectives, assumptions, and strategies of international broadcasting posed by France, United Kingdom, the United States of America between 1945 and late 1980s are examined. The last chapter is entirely dedicated to BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale and Voice of America nowadays, paying attention to their regulations, structures, and broadcasting services. These radio stations are understood as means used for public diplomacy of their countries, and their institutional and formal connections to government institutions are discussed. Consequently, this comparative chapter refers to the legal contexts, supported by acts and regulations of a given country, presents the principles and levels of funding, reconstructs the institutional positions of radio among other media, and characterises broadcasting in terms of services, directions, and programmes. The analysis of contemporary strategies and activities of the discussed radio stations makes it possible to claim that the use of radio for international communication has not lost its relevance, and currently is supported with television and the Internet, that is, the media that were invented later in the course of historical progress. Radio stations, therefore, are not held in media bubbles; rather, they are still significant means of foreign communication because of their specificities. Furthermore, radio communication complies with strategic foreign policies, which affects various parts of the world where levels of technological development diverge whilst the access to television or the Internet connection is not available. In the countries stricken with military conflicts or poverty, radio is still the predominant means of communication that serves numerous purposes; not only is it a source of information on military operations, epidemiological situations, climate and natural disasters, but also it educates its listeners on civil and human rights, especially women’s rights. Finally, Voice of America, BBC World Service, and Radio France Internationale support policies against extremism and propaganda (for instance, fake news). The services of the discussed radio stations are related to the policies the United States of America, United Kingdom, and France put forward against ISIL and international terrorism, but also to those actions that support democratic changes in the countries affected by war and political unrest

Techniczne aspekty cyfryzacji radia i telewizji w Polsce

The article presents the process of the digitization of radio and television transmission in Poland with regard to the technological solutions which were adopted as standards in Europe. The author analyzes the development of the digitization from the moment of the creation of digital technologies, presents their characteristics as well as the possibilities for their application, and points out to the adopted legislative documents being in force at the level of the European Union level and the constitutional law of Poland. She discusses issues related to the technical solutions adopted in the implementation of digital radio and television broadcasting in Poland, pinpointing the resulting benefits, but also risks affecting the situation of the Polish market of electronic media. She presents the offer of terrestrial television, the transformation process of which, i.e. the migration from analogue to digital TV, has been completed, and describes the progress of the digitization of the Polish radio

„My też chcemy mieć swoje tradycje”. Metody badań, definiowanie i praktykowanie niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego na ziemiach zachodnich i północnych

Tekst skupia się na pomijanym dotychczas niematerialnym dziedzictwie kulturowym (NDK) na Ziemiach Zachodnie i Północnych, które tworzą neoregiony, czyli obszary, gdzie doszło do wielkich migracji ludności w wyniku II wojny światowej. Celem artykułu  jest 1) określenie sposobów (metod) rozpoznawania tradycji jako NDK neoregionów we współpracy ze społecznościami lokalnymi i 2) uznania go za element niezbędny w kształtowaniu tożsamości mieszkańców terenów postmigracyjnych. Oparciem dla wyrażonego postulatu jest analiza metod i technik badawczych zastosowanych w projektach realizowanych w wybranych regionach. Służą one zaświadczeniu ich wszechobecności i doniosłej roli w kształtowaniu NDK. Dlatego przeprowadzono krytyczną analizę metod badawczych i ocenę krajowego systemu ochrony NDK oraz przedstawiono możliwości praktycznego zastosowania wyników badań w społecznościach lokalnych na rzecz eksperckiego wsparcia i włączenia go do krajowego rejestru NDK

Dziennikarstwo w kontekście tabloidyzujących się mediów

Considerations included in the article concern problems with defining the scope of professional responsibility that appear in the journalist environment, and social expectations regarding the ethic and professional condition of Polish journalists. The author concentrates mainly on the division of the media into qualitative and popular taking into account tabloids. The process of shaping the two models of journalism: a socially responsible and tabloid one is presented in the light of the historical development. The issues dealt with concern differences in terms of journalist approach to the obligation towards the audience, making them depend on the media type for which they work, without following general assumptions of the professional ethics. An important aspect of journalist current attitudes is the phenomenon of the tabloidization of serious media that develop mainly for economic and cultural reason

Naukowiec przy mikrofonie : audycje z udziałem naukowców w Polskim Radiu - rozważania nad ich funkcjami i wizerunkiem

Celem naukowym artykułu jest opis audycji Polskiego Radia o tematyce naukowej, aby przedstawić funkcje, jakie pełnią naukowcy w radiu, a także przedstawienie cech narracji na temat ich wizerunku oraz typów wizerunkowych naukowców pojawiających się w Polskim Radiu. Artykuł ma wymiar empiryczny. Podstawowym problemem publikacji jest analiza oferty programowej kanałów Polskiego Radia z perspektywy historycznej oraz współcześnie. Jako główne narzędzia badawcze posłużyły tradycyjne studia literaturowe oraz jakościowa analiza zawartości wybranych audycji radiowych o tematyce naukowej, a także uzupełniająca analiza jakościowa audycji i ogólnej oferty programowej wybranych stacji Polskiego Radia. Wywód składa się z dwóch zasadniczych elementów. Pierwsze wnioski płyną z historycznej analizy oferty programowej Polskiego Radia w zakresie omawianego obszaru badawczego. Druga część, empiryczna, artykułu bazuje na jakościowej analizie dyskursu wybranych audycji radiowych o tematyce naukowej oraz na uzupełniającej analizie innych pozycji programowych wybranych kanałów Polskiego Radia, w celu określenia na jej podstawie typów wizerunkowych naukowców w radiu. Badane jednostki analityczne pokazują, że rozpiętość tematów audycji popularnonaukowych jest niemal nieograniczona oraz że dominuje zasada bezpośredniej rozmowy z naukowcem, przedstawicielem określonej dziedziny nauki. Ten rodzaj aktywności naukowców w programach radiowych oraz sposób odnoszenia się do nich dziennikarzy jest jednoznacznie pozytywny, zachowanie badaczy w radiu i formy przekazywania wiedzy są atrakcyjne, a w konsekwencji wizerunek naukowców również zyskuje wymiar pozytywny. Udało się wyodrębnić podstawowe typy naukowców obecnych w radiu: naukowiec-popularyzator, naukowiec-komentator, naukowiec-artysta, naukowiec-urzędnik, naukowiec-polityk. Popularyzacja badań naukowych i wiedzy o świecie jest istotna z perspektywy edukacji społeczeństwa, zajmuje ważne miejsce w programach Polskiego Radia, a pozytywny wizerunek naukowców biorących udział w audycjach radiowych jest na ogół pozytywny, co może sprzyjać upowszechnianiu wiedzy naukowej

Doktor hab. Zbigniew Oniszczuk, profesor Uniwersytetu Śląskiego (1955-2020) : In Memoriam…

Zbigniew Oniszczuk urodził się 20 listopada 1955 roku w Rybniku. W latach 1975-1980 studiował nauki polityczne na Wydziale Nauk Społecznych Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach. Po ukończeniu studiów podjął pracę w zawodzie dziennikarza w mediach regionalnych na Górnym Śląsku. W 1981 roku rozpoczął działalność naukową w Zakładzie Dziennikarstwa Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach. Dwukrotnie - w 1983 i 1987 roku - odbywał staż naukowy w Ośrodku Badań Prasoznawczych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, pod kuratelą Profesora Walerego Pisarka. Prowadził tam badania nad lokalnymi źródłami informacji w prasie częstochowskiej. Dysertację doktorską pt. „Społeczne funkcje masowych środków informacji lokalnej wobec aglomeracji miejskiej średniej wielkości (na przykładzie Częstochowy w latach 1984—1985)” napisał pod kierunkiem Profesora Jerzego Mikułowskiego Pomorskiego i obronił w 1988 roku [...]

The association of homeobox gene expression with stem cell formation and morphogenesis in cultured Medicago truncatula

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is induced in vitro in Medicago truncatula 2HA by auxin and cytokinin but rarely in wild type Jemalong. The putative WUSCHEL (MtWUS), CLAVATA3 (MtCLV3) and the WUSCHEL-related homeobox gene WOX5 (MtWOX5) were investigated in M. truncatula (Mt) and identified by the similarity to Arabidopsis WUS, CLV3 and WOX5 in amino acid sequence, phylogeny and in planta and in vitro expression patterns. MtWUS was induced throughout embryogenic cultures by cytokinin after 24–48 h and maximum expression occurred after 1 week, which coincides with the induction of totipotent stem cells. During this period there was no MtCLV3 expression to suppress MtWUS. MtWUS expression, as illustrated by promoter-GUS studies, subsequently localised to the embryo, and there was then the onset of MtCLV3 expression. This suggests that the expression of the putative MtCLV3 coincides with the WUS-CLAVATA feedback loop becoming operational. RNAi studies showed that MtWUS expression is essential for callus and somatic embryo production. Based on the presence of MtWUS promoter binding sites, MtWUS may be required for the induction of MtSERF1, postulated to have a key role in the signalling required for SE induced in 2HA. MtWOX5 expressed in auxin-induced root primordia and root meristems and appears to be involved in pluripotent stem cell induction. The evidence is discussed that the homeobox genes MtWUS and MtWOX5 are “hijacked” for stem cell induction, which is key to somatic embryo and de novo root induction. In relation to SE, a role for WUS in the signalling involved in induction is discussed

Transgene Silencing and Transgene-Derived siRNA Production in Tobacco Plants Homozygous for an Introduced AtMYB90 Construct

Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) lines were engineered to ectopically over-express AtMYB90 (PAP2), an R2–R3 Myb gene associated with regulation of anthocyanin production in Arabidopsis thaliana. Independently transformed transgenic lines, Myb27 and Myb237, accumulated large quantities of anthocyanin, generating a dark purple phenotype in nearly all tissues. After self-fertilization, some progeny of the Myb27 line displayed an unexpected pigmentation pattern, with most leaves displaying large sectors of dramatically reduced anthocyanin production. The green-sectored 27Hmo plants were all found to be homozygous for the transgene and, despite a doubled transgene dosage, to have reduced levels of AtMYB90 mRNA. The observed reduction in anthocyanin pigmentation and AtMYB90 mRNA was phenotypically identical to the patterns seen in leaves systemically silenced for the AtMYB90 transgene, and was associated with the presence of AtMYB90-derived siRNA homologous to both strands of a portion of the AtMYB90 transcribed region. Activation of transgene silencing in the Myb27 line was triggered when the 35S::AtMYB90 transgene dosage was doubled, in both Myb27 homozygotes, and in plants containing one copy of each of the independently segregating Myb27 and Myb237 transgene loci. Mapping of sequenced siRNA molecules to the Myb27 TDNA (including flanking tobacco sequences) indicated that the 3′ half of the AtMYB90 transcript is the primary target for siRNA associated silencing in both homozygous Myb27 plants and in systemically silenced tissues. The transgene within the Myb27 line was found to consist of a single, fully intact, copy of the AtMYB90 construct. Silencing appears to initiate in response to elevated levels of transgene mRNA (or an aberrant product thereof) present within a subset of leaf cells, followed by spread of the resulting small RNA to adjacent leaf tissues and subsequent amplification of siRNA production