Flight From Poland
Title
Flight From Poland
Creator
Description
When martial law was imposed on the people of Poland on December 13, 1981, a vicious crackdown began against forces seeing freedom from communism. Members of the anti-communist trade union Solidarity became main targets of the military junta which seized power. Thousands were thrown in prison without trials.
Western New York students studying in Poland managed to flee the country and make it safely back to Buffalo. They had many stories to tell about the abuses imposed on Polish citizens as well as an economic crisis that put Poland on the brink of bankruptcy.
Buffalo, with its large Polish population, became one of the lead protest cities in the United States. They demanded that the Soviet Union loosen its grasp on Poland and allow the Polish people to choose their own destiny. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II are often credited with helping to bring down communism in Poland.
"Flight from Poland," a WIVB-TV news special hosted and co-produced by Rich Newberg, gave Buffalo viewers a comprehensive look inside Poland during this period of great turmoil. Newberg got first hand accounts from refugees and students in Buffalo who had witnessed the abuses in their homeland.
In 1985, Newberg would report from Gdansk, the birthplace of Solidarity, as club wielding Zomos (paramilitary units) again arrested Solidarity demonstrators. Newberg and photojournalist Don Yearke met with Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and then with Pope John Paul II in Rome. (See "Hearts and Minds Together" and "Inside a Private Audience with Pope John Paul II.")
In 1999, Newberg would again travel to Poland, this time with photojournalist Mike Mombrea, Jr., to cover Pope John Paul II's triumphant return to his homeland, now free from communist rule. The pope made a special effort to meet with a Buffalo delegation on a street in Torun, Poland. He blessed every member, showing his gratitude toward the city, whose Polish Americans never wavered in their support for a free Poland. Newberg also interviewed Lech Walesa after he had served as president of Poland. (See "The People's Pope.")
Western New York students studying in Poland managed to flee the country and make it safely back to Buffalo. They had many stories to tell about the abuses imposed on Polish citizens as well as an economic crisis that put Poland on the brink of bankruptcy.
Buffalo, with its large Polish population, became one of the lead protest cities in the United States. They demanded that the Soviet Union loosen its grasp on Poland and allow the Polish people to choose their own destiny. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II are often credited with helping to bring down communism in Poland.
"Flight from Poland," a WIVB-TV news special hosted and co-produced by Rich Newberg, gave Buffalo viewers a comprehensive look inside Poland during this period of great turmoil. Newberg got first hand accounts from refugees and students in Buffalo who had witnessed the abuses in their homeland.
In 1985, Newberg would report from Gdansk, the birthplace of Solidarity, as club wielding Zomos (paramilitary units) again arrested Solidarity demonstrators. Newberg and photojournalist Don Yearke met with Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and then with Pope John Paul II in Rome. (See "Hearts and Minds Together" and "Inside a Private Audience with Pope John Paul II.")
In 1999, Newberg would again travel to Poland, this time with photojournalist Mike Mombrea, Jr., to cover Pope John Paul II's triumphant return to his homeland, now free from communist rule. The pope made a special effort to meet with a Buffalo delegation on a street in Torun, Poland. He blessed every member, showing his gratitude toward the city, whose Polish Americans never wavered in their support for a free Poland. Newberg also interviewed Lech Walesa after he had served as president of Poland. (See "The People's Pope.")
Staff involved include Karen Sacks (Producer, Writer), Mike Mombrea, Jr. (Photographer, editor), (Contributing Photographers: Joe Ader, Bill Cantwell, Don Yearke, Luis Hidalgo, Curt Louison, Jay Lauder, Micki Sellers, Mike Mombrea, Sr.), Bob Koop (Polish National Anthem Narrator), Joe Kirik (News Director), Bill Tower (Director), (Technicians: Keith Jones, Hal Case, Al Barbour, Russ Barone, Herb Steffen, Stan Nowak, Dom Zigrossi).
Date
1985-06-03
Subject
Publisher
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Rights
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Type
Moving Image
Format
video/mp4
Language
Collection
Citation
Newberg, Rich, “Flight From Poland,” B&ECPL Digital Collections, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digital.buffalolib.org/document/17424.