Manipulations based on the Wirtualna Polska article on the cancellation of free access to health insurance for Ukrainian citizens (April 1-14, 2026)

The main manipulation lies in the fact that the channels extract a comment from only one institution — the Brodnowski Mazovian Centre — and an anonymous accounting employee from another institution, presenting it as a nationwide trend. This claim is further reinforced by other Telegram posts, amplifying a sense of injustice and creating an impression of urgency around the issue. At the same time, a key part of the original text is omitted, namely the data from the Rynek Zdrowia portal and the 2024–2025 analysis. According to these data, contributions made by employed Ukrainians to the NFZ (National Health Fund) effectively cover the healthcare costs of the entire group, generating a surplus of over 1.5 billion PLN.

“A Warsaw Mermaid” and Niezależny dziennik polityczny completely omit this information, focusing the audience’s attention solely on 72 issued bills, which is not a representative indicator for millions of refugees, yet it creates the illusion of widespread exploitation of the Polish healthcare system. It is also worth noting that a similar manipulative article appeared on the Kresy.pl portal, which is characterized by the dissemination of anti-Ukrainian content.

In this way, instead of addressing a real social issue, a distorted image of the “Ukrainian debtor” is created, directly mirroring a Russian propaganda frame aimed at increasing tensions between Polish society and the Ukrainian community, while at the same time masking itself through references to a reputable Polish media outlet.

The “contextual contamination” effect through editorial add-ons

Particular attention should be paid to the technical layout of the WP article, which significantly influences the perception of the content. Although the main text by journalist Tomasz Mólga is balanced, the editorial team saturates the article space with additional links and contextual blocks. These add-ons create a sense of pressure and inevitability and maintain a certain level of emotional tension in society, which has a negative effect on Ukrainians. How does this work in this article?

• Empathy erosion through juxtaposition: next to the description of the tragic story of a 77-year-old ill man from Avdiivka, headlines such as “End of privileges” or “Reduction of benefits” are placed. This creates cognitive dissonance: the reader subconsciously begins to perceive medical assistance for an elderly person not as a humanitarian need, but as an “unjustified privilege” that is finally being “abolished”.
• An illusion of “an issue” is created: even if the reader does not click on the links, their mind registers the inserted headlines as part of the overall picture. The constant flashing of words such as “debts,” “bills,” and “end of free services” builds a negative semantic field around the Ukrainian community. This is known as negative priming — when the media environment preconditions the viewer to perceive any news about Ukrainians negatively.
• Manipulative selection of topics: the inserts often do not deepen the article’s content (e.g., by guiding how to obtain insurance), but instead give space to sensationalist political commentary (e.g., references to positions of the “Confederation” party). This shifts the focus from a social issue to the sphere of political confrontation.

Such a form of presentation creates an effect of conflict with the content. For an average reader who scans the text superficially, these blocks become the primary markers that reinforce biases and a sense of irritation, neutralizing all the positive facts presented in the material itself.