The term „editorial programme policy” appeared in the press law act of 1984 issued during the era of the Polish People’s Republic and remained in use for 34 years. It may be assumed that it had a significant influence on editorial practice, performing professional duties and relations between journalists and media owners. The aim of this article is to verify those assumptions and present a history of the researched phenomenon. The source basis of the analysis consisted of normative acts, press articles and scarce source literature.