Journalist Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, known for her work in Polish Television and "Gazeta Wyborcza", surprised Internet users, setting up her own YouTube channel. Her debut video, published on November 29, gathered hundreds of comments and over a thousand negative reactions at a rapid pace. A discussion broke out online: will the new channel become a competition for the popular "Zero Channel" by Krzysztof Stanowski? Or would a journalist address controversial topics in family history such as the Augustov Oblast and the role of her father-in-law?
YouTube debut: Invitation to discuss
On Saturday afternoon, around 6:30 p.m., the first material appeared on YouTube's platform on the channel "Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf Official Channel". Film entitled "Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf: Come to my channel. Join us!" takes a little over a minute and is a simple appeal to viewers. A journalist, sitting in a home interior with background books and abstract image on the left, invites you to subscribe to the channel and actively participate in discussions.
- Time to go! First interview and first class interview tomorrow! Join, subscribe, invite! – writes Wysocka-Schnepf in the description under the video, linking to your profiles on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. In the bio channel, he recalls his career: from a TVP correspondent in Washington, D.C., to work in Polish Radio in Latin America, to return to TVP after eight years of break. He currently runs programs such as "Unsymmetrical Conversations", "Question of the Day" and "Dangerous Relationships", focusing on national and foreign policy.
By 30 November (20 hours after publication), the video was watched more than 9,000 times (exactly 9111 according to recent data), gaining 333 subscribers. However, the reactions are mixed: 116 likes contrast with as many as 1,1 thousand "traps down". The comment section already has 261 entries, and many of them are harsh criticisms and jokes.
Online reactions: Laughing and calling to boycott
Information about the new channel quickly spread across social media, especially on the X platform, where netizens shared their opinions. One of the first posts on the subject was published by user @chrzanikx, who shared a clip with the comment: "Schnepf set up her YouTube channel XD. We are waiting for Mrs #Arcycaplanka Propaganda regular mass". The post collected over 2.4 thousand likes, 125 reps and 261 comments. In response, netizens called for mass giving "traps down", which could have contributed to a rapid increase in negative reactions. One user wrote, "We go into her canal and we put our feet down," which conquered the discussion.
Another post, by @jpinkwart (journalist Joanna Pinkwart from Channel Zero), was ironic: "Aaaaaaaaaaa... that is what this was about? That kind of publicity? Then it's dead, I won't! Shape, hats and hats 👏". Pinkwart referred to a similar strategy of Krzysztof Stanowski, the founder of the "Zero Canal", suggesting that Wysocka-Schnepf uses controversy to promote. This post gained over 1.2 thousand likes and sparked a discussion about potential competition between channels. "Will this be a rival for the Zero Channel?" said Internet users, mocking the idea that a new initiative could threaten the popular Stanowski format.
There were also references to the story of a family journalist. User @StZerko wrote, "About Augustowska's Oblast or about Gebels' propaganda in the platformer TVP will?", quoting Wysocka-Schnepf's original post. Augustów's siege is a tragic event of July 1945, when NKVD and Red Army troops arrested and murdered hundreds of Polish guerrillas and civilians in Suwałszczyz. Internet users often link this subject with the father-in-law of Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, Maximilian Sznepf, who in the 1940s was an officer of the Security Office and according to some sources was involved in repression of the AK. Comments are full of jokes and questions: "Will he address the subject of his father-in-law?" or "The section of comments will be the best of all channels on YT".
Among the reactions is criticism, with accusations of "propaganda" and no shame. @ferathil wrote: "I don’t understand that she is not ashamed. A man without honor", and @PoliticFicti1 joked: "120 views of 4h on YT. This force Stanowski will not stop again". Some have pointed out the aesthetics of the video, e.g. @MarcelFormelaPL: "Baby in the picture looks with such an xd politication".
Context: Who is Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf?
Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf is an experienced journalist, wife of former Polish Ambassador to the USA, Richard Schnepf. Her career includes work on TVP, "Gazeta Wyborcza" and radio. After returning to TVP in 2024, she became one of the faces of public television, which sparks controversy among government opponents. Critics call it "the high priestly propaganda", referring to her sharp political interviews and bias during the May 2025 presidential debate.
Founding a channel may be an attempt to extend coverage beyond traditional media, especially in the era when YouTube became an arena for independent journalists and commentators. However, a fast wave of hate shows how polarized Polish society is in the issue of media and politics.
What's next? Expectations and speculation
Internet users speculate that the first guest of the channel – announced for November 30 – may be someone in the political or media circle. Will Wysocka-Schnepf respond to criticism? Will he address difficult family issues? For now, the channel grows in the eyes, although mainly due to controversy. Within less than 24 hours of his debut, he became a very popular topic in Polish social media, proving that online even negative attention can be a fuel for success.
An article based on publicly available social media information and YouTube platform.
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