The Church–State Relationship in Polish Media: Combining the Grounded Theory and Intermedia Agenda-Setting at the Network Level

The article examines the reports on the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland as a religious and political event in mainstream Polish newspapers, websites and TV news in April of 2016. Using qualitative grounded theory and quantitative intermedia agenda-setting at the networked level, the author shows how this religious event was presented and interpreted as a dominant force in this Church–state relationship. As a result, he claims that the Church–state relationship in media was covered by an increasing policy of the Church putting pressure on the state by expanding religion in the public sphere.