Editor in-Chief of “Dziennik” newspaper replies to the Internet readers: Kiss my ass!

Robert Krasowski, Editor In-Chief of “Dziennik” answering criticism after his newspaper has revealed identity of the political blogger says: “kiss my ass” to the public.

Image via Wikipedia

In his editorial titled “Open letter to the Kataryna defenders” Krasowski declares, that reading all the comments, he could not find any arguments but invectives. He describes his newspaper online readers as: “small people from Gogol or Dostoyevsky, that are putting bile of envy on the whole world”.

“You are entering web forums not to discuss, but to smash everybody on your way” – Krasowki says.

Mr. Krasowski cites in his article many epithets commonly used in emotional discussions on political websites. He also says to the Internet users:

“You have never accomplished anything, you never revealed anyting important, you have never found any scandal”

Krasowski states, that they did not explicitly reveal Kataryna’s identity, and even so, that it was just what journalists have to do. He also states, that the blackmailing her was an example of “true journalism” and “normal way of convincing somebody to share information”.

Mr. Krasowski is not mentioning false allegations that his journalists wrote about Kataryna, and he tries to divide readers. As he writes most of them are “good”, but he wants to fight with “this small but noisy group that makes a tone of the Polish Web”.

As a margin note we may add, that Krasowski’s Dziennik is dramatically loosing readers (40 % year-to year as for March 2009). Should we consider this as a fight for life with growing online media industry? Alternatively, maybe “Dziennik” tries to shut down independent commentators empowered by Web?

Polish Political Blogger “Kataryna” Identity Revealed. It Raises Discussion On Privacy And Bloggers Rights.

22th of May 2009, Polish daily newspaper “Dziennik” (Axel Springer) revealed personal data of famous, and until this date anonymous political blogger, Kataryna. To get the story more spicy, blogger was conflicted with Polish Minister of Justice, and threatened by his son.

[read also follow-up story]

Hunted

Kataryna is a nickname of the anonymous Polish political blogger and commentator on Gazeta.pl forum active since 2002. Lastly, she was attacked by son of the Polish Minister of Justice. Krzysztof Czuma has demanded to reveal blogger identity in rude and arrogant emails addressed to the blogging platform Salon24.pl, that hosts Kataryna’s blog. Those demands were declined and publicly announced by Igor Janke, owner of the website.

Krzysztof Czuma insisted, that he needs Kataryna’s data to file a suit by the name of his father, Andrzej Czuma, who was criticized on her blog with words:

“I am strangely convinced, that information published by the Newsweek are going to be confirmed in few days, and we will see that the Minister of Justice lied, again.”

This was just short reference to the story from the Newsweek, that Mr. Czuma was managing his own legal troubles with Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, using his official prerogatives during his private trip to Chicago, IL. Anyway, they did not manage any action against Newsweek, but started attack directly on the commenting blogger.

Protected

Igor Janke declined revealing data but published demands of Krzysztof Czuma. Kataryna announced, that she can reveal herself to Mr. Czuma if he wants to file charge. During next days, facing a public opinion and journalists overwhelmingly criticizing Czuma’s actions, Mr. Andrzej Czuma publicly declined that he asked his son to perform any such actions. On Czuma family website Krzysztof Czuma published few statements, describing Kataryna as the journalist working for Agora, owner of the leading Polish newspaper, “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

Blackmailed

This story would be probably enough to discuss how to deal with anonymous defamation on the blogs. However, in following days, “Dziennik” managed to perform an interview with Kataryna. Shortly after, 19th of May, Kataryna has got an SMS message from Sylwia Czubkowska, journalist working for “Dziennik”:

“Mme Katarzyna, please seriously consider our proposal. We do not want to reveal your identity and help Czuma’s. We prefer you to make “coming out” on your conditions, including hiring you as our columnist. However, please understand our point “how frustrating is to know and not write it”. I know that your identity is known to “Fakt” [Polish tabloid newspaper, also from Axel Springer, known from brutal attacks on privacy of celebrities - PW], and they will not treat you so well – please do not thin it is a blackmail. We do not want to hurt you, really.” [see original at Kataryna’s blog]

Defamed

Kataryna after this message stopped answering to any further Dziennik’s calls. 22th of May on Dziennik website, Cezary Michalski former second editor in-chief of Dziennik has published an article informing, that his newspaper knows identity of Kataryna. He declared that they will not reveal it. In the same article he alleged, that Kataryna had conflict of interests. The title of an article says: “Lost veneration of Kataryna”

According to Michalski in 2004 Kataryna criticized on the Internet Robert Kwiatkowski, who was then President of Polish Public TV, when in the same time she was in some business relations with him, including earning money from the same Public TV. Those allegations of Michalski were not true. Kataryna has never worked for or cooperated with TVP, she just participated in Polish NGO’s working group for better cooperation with TVP. It was voluntary action without any business or money related issues, which could be easily checked by asking any of the participants.

Michalski also stated, that Dziennik attacks Kataryna by the name of ethics of free and open speech. He states, that anonymous critics should not be allowed to public discussion, as there is no way to make them responsible for their statements. It is worth saying, that Cezary Michalski was an object of massive criticism over Internet himself.

Exposed

Few hours later Dziennik published Sylwia Czubkowska (the SMS lady), and Robert Zieliński revealing data of Kataryna by saying her real name, place of birth, age, and job position. Kataryna in real life is a leader of NGO working for promotion of democracy and citizens activity. Her posts often directly criticizing government officials can complicate her cooperation with those officials. What is interesting one of the authors of this article, Robert Zieliński, was also personally attacked by Kataryna. In her post from December 2008, she pointed out lack of professional skills presented by Mr. Zieliński, who did not check an official version of the incident he later falsely described.

All those events are evidently some kind of private revenge on the blogger who publicly criticized “Dziennik” journalists. In a wider perspective case of Kataryna can be seen as part of the conflict between growing citizen journalism and so-called old media.

What for…?

On the other hand, Kataryna herself was demanding to reveal identity of another blogger who wrote on the Salon24.pl with a nickname “Ketman”, which was in this time linked to the former communist secret police agent who in a new regime worked as a journalist in “Gazeta Wyborcza”. Kataryna wanted to check if it is the same person (it was not), and urged Igor Janke to ask blogger to officially confirm his identity – finally blog of Ketman was closed by Janke.

The problem is, that according to the Polish law, bloggers and online journalists are not protected if they are not affiliated to register, traditional media. If their identity is revealed, they can stand civil and crime charges for revealing some information, even when it is in the public interest. They can be legally forced to reveal their informers, and of course they can lose their jobs if they dare to report against their bosses. If there is no protection for them, and we are not allowing for anonymity, the only way for whistle blowers is to go for old media journalists. And even so, who would trust such persons like Czubkowska, Mazurek, Michalski or Zieliński from Dziennik?

Read more in Polish:

• Wstyd mi za “Dziennik” – by Igor Janke from Salon24.pl
• Kataryna case: Spór o (wymykająca się) „władzę” – Dominik Kaznowski from nasza-klasa.pl
• Dziennik szantażuje Katarynę – Dominik Panek from Radio Wrocław
• Epitafium dla Kataryny – Piotr Śmiłowicz from Newsweek
• Pieprzony los dziennikarza-Kataryniarza – Olgierd Rudak from Money.pl