Mika Brzezinski is a popular and highly influential journalist. This one sentence characterizes her position and the relevance of her work. Journalism is the backbone of modern democracy, without the continuous effort of people who provide information and commentary and who create an “atmosphere of opinion," it would simply be impossible to have a proper public sphere constituting the foundation of modern democratic societies. Many people living in our country still remember the times when media coverage used to turn into brutal propaganda falsifying social reality. This makes it all the more important to make sure that such situations never happen again. However, for this to be possible, we must continue to draw on the best models of media work. It must be clearly stated and repeated that the history of democracy is the history of journalism. And the history of journalism is not only the dissemination of news on current events, but it is above all the pursuit of truth and the fight against the trivialization of public information, the struggle against its falsification and depreciation. It is also the ability to filter information and find what is most important. A journalist, similarly to a scholar, seeks the truth, but unlike in the case of the academic profession, a journalist’s activity cannot be limited to a narrow group of specialists. True journalism reaches everyone and engages everyone. The combination of research and glamorous popularization represents the fundamental difficulty which is inevitable in this profession. Journalism is therefore extremely demanding and only few people are able to fully meet all its requirements and ethical demands. And that is all the more reason to appreciate those who are able to do so.
In her biography entitled All Things at Once, Mika Brzezinski talks about the importance of her experiences participating in the discussions and disagreements she listened to in her family home: "I found a role for myself in helping to calm discussions when they got out of hand and emotions ran high. I became a diplomat to help the parties find common ground. She would throw in a neutral comment or some kind of joke to lighten the atmosphere... I never felt comfortable as the main participant of the events, I was always an intermediary, a mediator" (p. 38). These situations proved to be very important from the perspective of her journalistic practice when she had to calm down a discussion or comment on its contents. Therefore, we can say with confidence that this is, by far, the most important trait for a true journalist. It is due to the fact that it requires the ability to present different and varying political standpoints in such a way that the reader or viewer is well able to form their own opinion. In other words, Mika Brzezinski possesses, to the highest degree necessary to fulfill the mission of the media, the ability to understand conflicting views, even those with which she disagrees.
This, however, was not the only thing that earned her a place among the highest circles of media personalities and immense popularity with the public. The second feature of true journalism, besides the ability to understand, is ethical integrity, the ability to withstand pressures which can lead to the trivialization of media coverage. It is clear that various political forces would like to have journalists on their side and are trying to influence the content of media coverage. It is equally clear that there is also strong commercial pressure to reduce serious journalism to celebrity stories and cheap sensationalism. With her attitude, Mika Brzezinski has shown that she can resist both pressures. This earned her the trust of the audience and widespread recognition among the community.
Mika Brzezinski's accomplishments are extremely significant and multifaceted. She is the co-host of the popular morning news program Morning Joe, an extremely influential show viewed by hundreds of thousands of Americans every day. It is worth noting that presenters in such programs hold a very special place in the national psyche. This is because they are the first people most viewers learn what is going on from and, in a sense, this is how their attitudes towards political events are formed. So the impact they have on society is strong and significant and they tend to occupy a central position in the vast vortex that is American politics with its complex networks of views, interests, and influence. This influence is amplified by Mika's Straight Up Podcasts series, in which she talks to those who make the rules (the so-called rule-makers) and those who break them (the rule-breakers).
By themselves, these accomplishments are impressive in current journalism, but Mika Brzezinski's achievements are not limited to this area. She is also the author of well-received bestsellers. I mentioned one above. The book, co-written with Daniel Paisner and entitled All Things at Once, is a biography in which the author talks candidly about her life and her work, showing both the highs of her career and the problems that came with it. It presents an inspiring account of her journalistic work, of achieving, against all odds, higher and higher career goals, as we as a description of the various difficult choices associated with working in journalism. The author also talks about her family life, at first about her childhood, but most of all about the difficult choices facing a woman who has to reconcile her work under dramatically difficult conditions with her role as a mother and wife. Anyone who reads this candid biography will surely feel an undying admiration for its heroine. Not surprisingly, it made the prestigious New York Times bestseller list.
Another one of her books which is undoubtedly worth mentioning is Obsessed: America's Fodd Addiction - and My Own (2013). The topic of obesity is one of the most important social problems of our time. At the same time, it is a particularly difficult issue because, first of all, it must be based in sound knowledge of various disciplines, often very distant from each other, but also because it is extremely delicate and complicated to tackle. For many people, being obese or even overweight is a personal experience very much tied to their relationship with themselves. Mika Brzezinski handled this difficult subject very well, almost perfectly, using her vast experience as a journalist which allowed her to refer to her own story and her friends' experiences of fighting with weight gain, but also to combine them with hard data about this epidemic (because that is how obesity should be defined). It is important to note that the book does not stigmatize anyone. Instead, it seeks to understand and support the actions of those who have made the decision to change their body weight. Not surprisingly, this item also made the bestseller list.
However, it seems that the most important works in terms of their social impact are the Know Your Value books. The series includes three books, i.e. Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth (2011, new 2018 supplemented edition), Earn It!: Know Your Value and Grew Your Career, in Your 20s, and Beyond (2019), and Comeback Careers: Rethink, Refresh, Reinvent your Success - At 40, 50, and Beyond (2020). These books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, which is obviously a testament to their popularity and the importance of the advice given by Mika Brzezinski to women of all ages. Even in her autobiography, she emphasized the effort it takes for women to climb the career ladder. At the same time, she always believed, and encouraged other women to believe, that the effort is definitely worth making. She emphasized that they should fight for such working conditions and pay that reflect their true worth. The last of these items shows ways in which you can best get back into the workforce after a break, which is particularly common for women.
Around the thematic scope of these publications, Mika Brzezinski has undertaken a number of significant initiatives which are of great importance for increasing women's confidence and self-esteem in their professional lives under the overall theme of Know Your Value. These include, in addition to the popular books mentioned above, conferences with a national reach, a digital platform where female co-editors contribute their writings, and, in collaboration with Forbes magazine, a list of 50 Women over 50 (50 Over 50). This whole network of various projects has a significant impact on changing gender relations by promoting and strengthening women’s professional activity.
Mika Brzezinski is a journalist, and a journalist of the highest order. Not only does she comment on and facilitate the understanding of the political and social sphere for hundreds of thousands of people, but she actively shapes that sphere for them. In the times we live in, the times of confusion and uncertainty, characters like Mika Brzezinska give meaning and allow us to understand the changes taking place around us. As I stated at the beginning, reliable and objective journalism is a cornerstone of democracy, especially in the face of the deluge of fake news and the widespread use of social media, which often yield unverified information. Everything I said confirms that Mika Brzezinski is an outstanding and unique figure in the world of media, showing the highest level of activity in various social fields. I am convinced that she is an ideal candidate for an honorary doctorate from SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Awarding this title to such an outstanding personality will be an important part of building the prestige of the university which is open to the world and its positive transformation.
Professor Leszek Koczanowicz
SWPS University
Institute of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities in Warsaw • Department of Cultural and Media Studies