State companies in Poland have multiplied many times over their spending on advertising via news magazines that attack gay rights since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, market research data shows. In the run-up to a parliamentary election expected in October, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people’s rights have become a hot issue, with the PiS party facing accusations of fomenting homophobia. The socially conservative party with a leftist economic agenda has also been accused of using state broadcasters as a political tool as part of a broader move to increase government control over industry and the courts. Data collected by market research firm Kantar Media suggest PiS is supporting private news outlets that share its agenda. “State-run companies support … media that help promote the (government’s) values,” said Wieslaw Godzic, media analyst and professor at University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw.