Polish American Journal

The Polish American Journal is published monthly in newspaper format out of Boston, New York near Buffalo. The journal presents news and information regarding Poland and American Polonia from a very conservative, traditionalistic point of view. This is a folksy paper geared towards the Polish American blue hairs who still attend functions down at the struggling Dom Polski so you won't ever find any articles critical of Poland. While one would not expect a Polish American paper to present Poland and Polonia in a negative light, many of the most chauvinistic, parochial attitudes associated with Polish Catholic ethno-nationalism, including a certain degree of anti-Jewish bias, can be found in the pages of the PAJ. The paper advertises that it provides features by "Polonia's finest academicians and historians" however subscribers will instead find the paper's actual writers rarely measure up to those credentials. They can, however, usually be counted on to present news and opinion from very conservative and far-right points of view. For example, articles regularly appear in the PAJ in support of hyper-catholic, ultra-nationalistic Radio Maryja, which is so extreme it even rankles the conservative Polish Catholic Church and the Vatican. Letters to the editor asking that the paper present the news in a more moderate, objective voice are ignored.

Of course, the Polish American Journal does have its good points. Readers are able to keep current with what's going on down at the Polish embassy and what new polka CD's and books are out. There's also plenty of apolitical features on traditions and holidays. So while I do recommend the PAJ, I caution potential subscribers that they will be getting only a very conservative slant on Polish current events and history.