Aneta Milczarczyk
Zarządzanie Mediami, Tom 7, Numer 2, 2019, s. 97 - 115
https://doi.org/10.4467/23540214ZM.19.007.10929Building an Organisational Identity – A Case Study of the Rzeczpospolita Daily Newspaper
Rzeczpospolita is a daily newspaper that went through a difficult time to regain its freedom and independence. Established as an independent newspaper in 1920, it was closed in the early 1930s, and later in the last months of the war it was reactivated by a communist activist. At the beginning of the 1950s it ceased to appear again, and it was re-established in 1980 and operated under the auspices of the communist authorities. Rzeczpospolita started its journey towards regaining its freedom together with Poland at the end of the 1980s. Freedom is inseparable from the identity that distinguishes the social group and claims its existence. This article – an ethnographic case study of the Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper – presents the identity of the organisation and its construction researched in 2001. The period of changes in Rzeczpospolita and the creation of a new identity was a key time for the future of the newspaper. The identity from 2001 proves that despite the absence of the leadership of Dariusz Fikus, who had carried out the transformation in the newspaper (he died in 1996), his work was continued, and the newspaper consistently followed the path appointed by him and his team. The current activity of the newspaper, its identity, image and reputation are the aftermath of activities undertaken by Dariusz Fikus and his people. This article presents their extraordinary faith as well as difficult and devoted work that resulted in great changes.