A Warsaw district court on Friday ruled that politician Krzysztof Stanowski, TV Zero host Robert Mazur and the channel must stop publishing defamatory content against TVP Info journalist Dorota Wysocka‑Schnepf and prohibit labeling her a “archpriest of propaganda,” a restriction lasting one year.
Background of the Conflict
Dorota Wysocka‑Schnepf, a TVP Info correspondent, announced in September that she would drop Krzysztof Stanowski and Robert Mazur from TV Zero. She claimed the reason was that Stanowski had “imprinted” her 14‑year‑old son with a name he did not give, hinting at a personal grievance.
Wysocka‑Schnepf is privately married to diplomat Ryszard Schnepf, whose father, Maksymilian, commanded a unit of the Polish People’s Army that participated in the 1945 Augustow ambush against the underground independence movement.
Court Decision and Restrictions
The Warsaw District Court’s order mandates that Stanowski, Mazur, and TV Zero cease any defamation of Wysocka‑Schnepf’s personal rights, including publications that equate her with communist crimes, notably those committed during the Augustow ambush.
The court also bars the journalists from calling the publicist “archpriest of propaganda” and obliges them to delete all related content.
The restrictions apply for a period of one year.
Specifics of the Restrictions
Further details target content concerning the naming of Wysocka‑Schnepf’s son. The court prohibits articles that describe the journalist’s choice of the name Maksymilian Schnepf for the complainant, or that link the name to accusations of communist crimes and the Augustow ambush, thereby preventing depiction of the complainant as aligning with those perpetrators.
Reactions
Wysocka‑Schnepf responded to the court’s decision with a post on X, accusing Stanowski of “karmic return” and insisting he must now stay silent about her and her child, adding that the court’s order protects her interests.
Stanowski replied, dismissing her claim and stating he had never told her to stay quiet but to “watch the clock.” He reminded her of her role and in turn referenced the “archpriest of propaganda” moniker used during a presidential campaign debate and a TV Zero staff debate.
