New York TV Station Apologizes for Error Blaming Poland Instead of Germany for Auschwitz

In an apparent attempt to be politically correct, much of the American media seems to go out of its way to deliberately avoid connecting the word “German” with the words “concentration camp” whenever there’s reference to the camps the Germans built in Poland, according to Michael Preisler, co-chair of the Holocaust Documentation Committee of the Polish American Congress.  He is also a Polish Catholic survivor of Auschwitz.
 
“They like to call these camps ‘Polish.’  We would like them to be accurate and not mislead the public by calling the German camps Polish,” said Preisler whose committee has been fighting such misidentification for many years.  “It’s been repeated so often, a lot of people have come to believe it.”
 

Photo the Germans took of Michael Preisler the day he arrived in Auschwitz, October, 1941.

The largest group murdered in Auschwitz was Jewish.  Poles were the second largest.
 
The United Nations considered the misrepresentations so inaccurate and misleading it felt compelled to issue a directive in 2007 clearly defining Auschwitz as German, not Polish.
 
Preisler noted that Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party created a public relations problem  for Germany for the past 70 years when he started World War II with his invasion of Poland in 1939 and then went on to murder millions of Jews, millions of  Poles and millions of so-called “others.”
 
To the discomfort of the German people and their country’s image, the unyielding determination to “never forget” keeps this problem in the public eye and serves as a constant reminder to the world of this fact.  
 
Preisler thinks the media may want to be sensitive to the way the Germans might feel about always bringing up the past and their part in the Holocaust.  “I wish they would be just as sensitive about the feelings of the Polish people and not confuse the American public by putting a  ‘Polish’ label on Auschwitz or any other German concentration camp.”
 
Preisler says he is grateful WLIW was quick to recognize and acknowledge the objections of the Polish American community.  “We have always had an amicable relationship with the station and understand this was a mistake.  But we suspect some of the other major media may have done it with deliberate intent.”
 
PBS Station WLIW addressed the following statement to the Polish American Congress, the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Polish Consulate:
 
“WLIW21 apologizes for the misleading language printed in our April 2009 program guide, In Focus, regarding the upcoming broadcast ‘Swimming in Auschwitz’ that identified Auschwitz concentration camp as ‘Polish.’
 
“The language used was an editorial oversight due to space restrictions and was only meant to reflect the camp’s geography.  The language was not intended as a characterization of Poland or its people.
 
“We sincerely apologize for any misrepresentation construed and offense taken by the statement, which was accidental.  ‘Swimming in Auschwitz’ is being broadcast April 4 as part of WLIW21’s special programming in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day throughout April as a way of acknowledging all the victims of Nazi actions.
 
“WLIW21 has a long tradition of producing and broadcasting Jewish and Polish programming that documents the contributions and heritage of both communities, including ‘The Polish Americans,’ ‘The Music & Dance of Poland: Mazowsze,’ ‘The Jews of New York,’ and ‘A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah.’
 
‘We will continue to support these communities and are committed to reviewing all communications more carefully in the future.”
 
The statement was signed by WLIW21 New York Public Television Management.
 
Frank Milewski
(718) 263-2700