Journalist Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, known for her work at Polish Television (TVP) and „Gazeta Wyborcza”, surprised internet users by launching her own channel on the YouTube platform. Her debut video, published on 29 November, quickly gathered hundreds of comments and over a thousand negative reactions. The internet erupted in debate: will the new channel become a competitor to the popular „Kanał Zero” run by Krzysztof Stanowski? Or will the journalist address controversial topics from her family history, such as the Augustów Round-Up (Obława Augustowska) and the role of her father-in-law?
YouTube Debut: An Invitation to Discussion
On Saturday afternoon, at around 6:30 p.m., the first material appeared on YouTube on the channel „Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf Kanał Oficjalny”. The video, titled „Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf: Zapraszam na mój kanał. Przyłącz się do nas!” („Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf: Welcome to my channel. Join us!”), runs just over a minute and is a simple appeal to viewers. Sitting in a domestic interior with books in the background and an abstract painting on the left, the journalist invites viewers to subscribe and actively take part in discussions.
– Czas start! Jutro pierwsza rozmowa i rozmówca pierwsza klasa! Dołączajcie, subskrybujcie, zapraszam! – writes Wysocka-Schnepf in the description under the video, linking to her profiles on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. In the channel bio she recalls her career: from TVP correspondent in Washington, through work at Polish Radio in Latin America, to her return to TVP after an eight-year break. She currently hosts programmes such as „Rozmowy niesymetryczne”, „Pytanie dnia” and „Niebezpieczne związki”, focusing on domestic and foreign politics.
By 30 November (20 hours after publication) the video had been watched more than 9 thousand times (exactly 9,111 according to the latest data), gaining 333 subscribers. However, reactions are mixed: 116 likes contrast with as many as 1.1 thousand „thumbs down”. The comment section already has 261 entries, many of them sharp criticism and jokes.
Internet Reactions: Mockery and Calls for a Boycott
News about the new channel quickly spread across social media, especially on X, where users shared their opinions. One of the first posts on the topic was published by user @chrzanikx, who shared a fragment of the video with the comment: „Schnepf founded her own YouTube channel XD. We look forward to regular propaganda masses from the lady #ArcykapłankaPropagandy” („High Priestess of Propaganda”). The post gathered over 2.4 thousand likes, 125 reposts and 261 comments. In replies, users called for mass „thumbs down” votes, which may have contributed to the rapid rise in negative reactions. One user wrote: „Let’s go to her channel and give thumbs down”, which fuelled the discussion.
Another post, by @jpinkwart (journalist Joanna Pinkwart of „Kanał Zero”), was ironic: „Aaaaa…. so that’s what it was about? An advertising stunt? Well, it worked, I must say! Bravo, hats off, etc. 👏” Pinkwart referred to a similar strategy by Krzysztof Stanowski, founder of „Kanał Zero”, suggesting that Wysocka-Schnepf is using controversy for promotion. The post gained over 1.2 thousand likes and sparked a discussion about potential competition between the channels. „Will this be a rival to Kanał Zero?” users asked, mocking the idea that the new initiative could threaten Stanowski’s popular format.
References to the journalist’s family history were also not lacking. User @StZerko wrote: „Will there be something about the Augustów Round-Up or about Goebbels-style propaganda in the Platformer-run TVP?”, quoting Wysocka-Schnepf’s original post. The Augustów Round-Up was a tragic event from July 1945, when NKVD and Red Army units arrested and murdered hundreds of Polish partisans and civilians in the Suwałki region. Internet users often link this topic to Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf’s father-in-law, Maksymilian Sznepf, who in the 1940s was an officer of the Office of Public Security and, according to some sources, took part in repression against the Home Army (AK). Comments are full of jokes and questions: „Will she address her father-in-law?” or „The comment section will be the best of all YT channels”.
Criticism dominates the reactions, with accusations of „propaganda” and a lack of shame. User @ferathil wrote: „I don’t understand how she isn’t ashamed. A person without honour”, while @PoliticalFicti1 joked: „120 views after 4h on YT. Stanowski won’t stop this force now”. Some commented on the look of the video, e.g. @MarcelFormelaPL: „The woman in the painting looks at you with such pity xd”.
Background: Who Is Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf?
Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf is an experienced journalist and the wife of former Polish ambassador to the USA, Ryszard Schnepf. Her career includes work at TVP, „Gazeta Wyborcza” and radio. After returning to TVP in 2024, she became one of the faces of public television, which has drawn controversy among opponents of the government. Critics call her the „High Priestess of Propaganda”, referring to her sharp political interviews and perceived bias during the presidential debate in May 2025.
Launching a channel may be an attempt to extend her reach beyond traditional media, especially in an era when YouTube has become an arena for independent journalists and commentators. However, the swift wave of hate shows how polarised Polish society is on the issues of media and politics.
What Next? Expectations and Speculation
Internet users speculate that the channel’s first guest – announced for 30 November – may be someone from the world of politics or media. Will Wysocka-Schnepf respond to the criticism? Will she address difficult family topics? For now the channel is growing before our eyes, though mainly thanks to controversy. Less than a day after its debut it became a very popular topic in Polish social media, proving that on the internet even negative attention can fuel success.
This article is based on publicly available information from social media and the YouTube platform.
