WHERE ARE THOSE SLANDERERS TODAY?

MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI

This is a far history but some people remember it. In 2006 the Civic Platform published a collection of sheets of paper which was called ‘A report on public media’ . in fact it was a false denunciation on those few journalists who, thanks to a created gap in the media system, found a possibility of cooperating with the Polish Television and the Polish Radio. Salaries were computed, raised three times. There were stigmatizing attitudes, attributing the worst intentions and dependence on parties. Nobody was ever apologized. Instead, when the political gap disappeared, everybody was removed and the public media were pursuing the policy of success of the Civic Platform and the Polish People’s Alliance and denunciations on the opposition and the Church. The river of lies was flowing without any obstacles.

It has been ten years, everything somehow has changed, but the method of intimidating people who are courageous to undertake work in the radio or television and tell the truth, has remained. A few days ago an MP of the party the Modern, deriving from the mentioned Platform, came up to a journalist of the ‘News’ in the TVP in the Seym and starts giving her a lesson, accusing her of manipulations without any justification. The MP’s cooperator recorded everything and placed it on internet at once. Its purpose was obvious: to stigmatize and scare; force to give up activity. Because, as we know, in the opinion of owners of the Third Polish Republic, journalists and media are allowed to do everything, but only if the only purpose of their attacks is the rightist party or priests. It is not permitted to touch the Establishment, as, then, there will be court processes and also weird verdicts. And such actions as MPs of the Modern to diminish the purpose of the attack.

These mechanisms were severely experienced by Father and Director Tadeusz Rydzyk. There was no slander which he or his cooperators would avoid, there was no obstacle which would not be thrown at him. He was intimidated with the procurators nearly every month, and there were attempts to persuade others to perceive him as greedy and transform the beautiful community into a ‘media empire’. He did not give up and these days the Radio Maryja is celebrating its 25th anniversary and all other works are developing beautifully. The film introduced into cinemas recently, entitled ‘A broken ear of corn’ about beautified Karolina Kózkówna, the first feature film made in this community, financed by donations shows that there are no borders of dreams or plans which would be impossible to realize.

Hard work and beautiful prayer, mutual solidarity and not giving in to any pressures or attacks bring fruits. And other plans are much braver. Maybe a modern, multi-media museum? Maybe a theatre? Another TV? It is worth looking at it and asking people who have attacked Fr. Rydzyk for years. Where are they today? What have they done that would be permanent and good? What is the balance of their life? Their surnames are disappearing in the fog of the past, awards and achievements are getting blurred, although they had allegedly been so great that they were to make them immortal. Certainly, the achievement of Radio Maryja is is so big that nobody will repeat it. But the lesson is for everybody: it is not worth building on sand or a lie, and the road of the truth is the only one worth effort, despite being hard and painful.

AA

„Niedziela” 50/2016

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl