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Public service broadcasting is a hot topic – the ongoing debate about its reform is important on the one hand, but has been going in circles for years. And sometimes it tires even the media journalists who cover him. Criticism was also made more difficult when the critics from ARD and ZDF were accused of wanting to “abolish” the broadcasters – when it is essentially about making the system fit for the future – and that includes acceptance among the population.
The revelations, especially from “Business Insider” (like WELT, belongs to Axel Springer) about RBB and its former director Patricia Schlesinger have changed and enlivened the debate. Reforms of the control bodies are now being called for – as well as structural reforms that go beyond previous proposals. A “flaming speech” by WDR boss Tom Buhrow, in which he ultimately suggested downsizing the system, changed the situation again.
In the coming year, the future of public service broadcasting will once again be at the top of the agenda – whether we like it or not. In this edition of our podcast “Die Medien-Woche” – the second part of our review of the year 2022 – we look back – and ahead.
The media itself was dominated by reporting on the Ukraine war and its consequences. Was the freedom of the western world also defended in the German media landscape? The author duo Harald Welzer and Richard David Precht wrote a whole book about how allegedly “mass media endanger democracy” – also with the Ukraine reporting. A current study by the Brenner Foundation has empirically evaluated the Ukraine coverage of large German media – in contrast to Precht and Welzer.
Finally, we deal with the future of print media. Said dead for 20 years, the German print media are still pretty much alive. But in 2023 there could be a “tipping point” – because the combination of digital transformation and rising costs could mean the end for many publications, or even a final switch to a purely digital publication.
With episode 219 of our podcast “Die Medien-Woche” we say goodbye for this year. Merry Christmas to all listeners and all the best for 2023!
The “Media Week” is a podcast about the world of media and its makers. Christian Meier, editor at WELT, and Stefan Winterbauer, editor-in-chief of the industry service Meedia, talk about the most important topics of the week every Friday. Background, analytical, entertaining.
Feedback an: medien-woche@welt.de