Poland: CFWIJ condemns the legal harassment of journalist Dorota Nygren

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January 29, 2021— Polish journalist Dorota Nygren was wrongfully dismissed by the director of Information Agency Radio, Paweł Piszczek. Dorota was fired for not revealing sensitive details about the subject of her story. When the journalist refused to identify the key details requested by Pawel Piszczek, she was threatened with dismissal. We are alarmed by the unethical behaviour of the Information Agency director. As a news organization, Information Agency Radio should respect a journalist’s integrity. The Coalition For Women In Journalism commends and supports journalist Dorota Nygren for refusing to reveal the discriminatory information in her report.

In 2017, Dorota reported a story of a man charged for spitting on a 97-year-old priest because the priest refused to give him any money. Dorota believes that the nationality of the criminal had nothing to do with what he did.  The journalist was then called by her director, who ordered her to reveal the criminal's nationality. Dorota refused to include the details because it was against the journalistic ethics she had always followed. 

In retaliation to her refusal, Dorota was transferred to the radio archive section, unable to continue as a journalist. Dorota sought the help of a lawyer and filed a complaint against her employer in April 2018. Dorota won the first lawsuit after claiming she faced discrimination in the workplace. However, her employer appealed the decision, and the verdict was overturned.
Dorota has shared many updates on her Twitter account. She seems committed to fighting back, as she firmly believes she did nothing wrong. Dorota said in a tweet, “I lost in the court of appeal but this is not the end of my case. Today's court verdict implies that I am not bound by ethical principles in a news agency and that a journalist must carry out any order from a superior, even if, in the journalist's opinion.”

Dorota said in a separate tweet, "It is unethical and incites hate speech. I do not agree with this. My lawyers K. Kędziora and @wpapucewicz and I will go to the Polish Supreme Court or the European Court of Human Rights. I would like to thank everyone for their support I have received so far.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands with the journalist in her fight against the discrimination culture in newsrooms. We commend Dorota and her courage to protect journalistic ethics and values. We hope to see the journalist return to work in the newsroom and receive the respect she deserves.