Jerzy Urban (born Jerzy Urbach, 3 August 1933 – 3 October 2022) was a Polish journalist, commentator, writer and politician, best known as the founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Nie. From 1981 to 1989 he was the Press Secretary of the Communist government under the Polish People’s Republic, and the Head of the Polish Radio and Television Committee in 1989.
A staunch anticlerical and pro-communist throughout his life, he frequently was the centre of numerous controversies due to his unfiltered comments and entrenched political views resulting in support of the communist regime; on the other hand, he was a sharp-witted, intelligent and uncompromising satirist, writer and journalist, which results in a complicated legacy of his life.
Biography
Urban was born into an assimilated Jewish family in Łódź. His father, Jan Urbach, was an activist of Polish Socialist Party and the General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland. In 1939, they relocated to the city of Lwów (Lemberg, now Lviv). Following the outbreak of the Second World War and the German-Soviet occupation of Poland, a Soviet official mistook the last two letters of the family surname and incorrectly transcribed it as “Urban”. His parents later refrained from returning to the original spelling, a move which possibly saved their lives when Germany seized Lwów in 1941.
Urban reportedly attended 17 different primary and high schools. He completed his senior high school exams as an external student. He studied in two faculties of the University of Warsaw and was expelled from both. He started his journalistic career with the journal Nowa Wieś.
From 1955 to 1957, he was a journalist – reporter and commentator – for the weekly Po prostu, which started during the rehabilitation of Władysław Gomułka, who became communist party leader. However, the newspaper was closed by the personal initiative of Gomułka, which symbolised the end of the thaw which started under Gomułka. The newspaper was closed mainly because of the biting, uncompromising opinion articles by Urban. Urban himself was officially banned from publishing under his own name. From 1961, he worked for the weekly Polityka, continuing his opinion pieces under pseudonyms. He was eventually totally forbidden from carrying out any journalistic activities. This ban continued until Gomułka lost power as party leader.
Despite his critical attitude towards Edward Gierek’s rule, he was an opponent of the Solidarity movement in 1980 and often criticized its leaders (including Lech Wałęsa). From 1981 to 1989, he was the Press Secretary and spokesman for the Council of Ministers and the Communist government. He created the tradition of weekly press conferences, transmitted by Polish television and attended by both Polish and foreign journalists. In September 1984, during the month before the murder of the priest Jerzy Popiełuszko, he wrote a column[4] “Seanse nienawiści” (hate session); he criticized the priest as an anti-communist Savonarola.
In 1986 Urban masterminded a media story that the United States had betrayed the Solidarity movement. He met with a Washington Post reporter and told him that a Polish spy for the CIA, who was later identified as Ryszard Kukliński, was aware of the plan to install martial law in 1981 and had passed that information on to the United States government. “The US administration could have publicly revealed these plans to the world and warned Solidarity,” Urban said, “Had it done so, the implementation of martial law would have been impossible.” At press conference Urban alleged that “Washington … did not warn its allies. It did not boast of its agent as it customarily does.” According to Urban, the Reagan administration had “lied to its own people and to its friends in Poland,” when it denied having prior knowledge of martial law.
After 1989
Urban ran for office as an independent during the semi-free elections in 1989 (he was never a member of the Polish United Workers Party PZPR). He suffered a landslide defeat and since then gave up attempts to actively participate in politics.
In 1990 he established Nie, an anti-clerical tabloid-like politically-satirical newspaper, which often uses profanity. He subsequently served as its chief editor.
Death
Jerzy Urban died in Konstancin-Jeziorna on 3 October 2022 at the age of 89. He was buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery, Warsaw on 11 October 2022.
Personal life and political beliefs
Urban married three times. He had one daughter. He described himself as an atheist, and frequently criticised organised religion, especially the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. He was a staunch communist throughout his life; he described the Solidarność movement as the “worst thing to happen to Poland” and maintained this stance even after the fall of communism.
He is remembered as an intelligent, skillful writer and satirist, as well as successful owner and editor-in-chief, however he remains a widely negatively received figure with a scandalous reputation.
His close friendship and support of General Jaruzelski and the decision to impose martial law in 1981, as well as his criticism, often using profanities, of Lech Wałęsa, Solidarność, John Paul II and Father Jerzy Popiełuszko – all highly revered in Poland – made him a widely disliked figure, more so after Popiełuszko’s assassination. However his unremitting stances, uncompromising satire and journalistic abilities were widely acclaimed, leaving behind a complex legacy.
Daily Habits
Work Time |
10 AM to 8 PM |
Workout Time | 8 AM to 9 AM |
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Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner | Update Soon |
Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
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Net Worth
The Estimated Net worth is $80K – USD $85k.
Monthly Income/Salary (approx.) | $80K – $85k USD |
Net Worth (approx.) | $4 million- $6 million USD |