Lead debate

 
Journalism Who is the leading medium today? There were no conclusive answers at the annual conference of Netzwerk Recherche.
Last weekend, the annual conference of the Netzwerk Recherche association in Hamburg focused on investigative journalism. In addition to workshops and discussion forums on the premises of Norddeutscher Rundfunk, two topics dominated: the length of time spent online by public broadcasters and - with the spying affair at Deutsche Telekom still fresh in the memory - how to properly snoop on journalists and how best to outsmart the Federal Intelligence Service, among other things in an attempt to get to the bottom of the overarching topic of "lead medium" and the question of what this is today. However, none of the media representatives on the podium really knew what to make of the term. Spiegel online was quickly mentioned as an example of the successful online presence par excellence. Then it was back to the practical offensive around the other topic that currently dominates Germany's media pages: the exchange of blows between the publishing houses and the state broadcasters ARD and ZDF and who is ultimately allowed to go online with whom.
ZDF editor-in-chief Nikolaus Brender described as "unworldly" the permission for public broadcasters to remove a program from their online media libraries just seven days after it has been broadcast. "Doping in China is still worth reading about several weeks later," countered Brender.
In addition to dry information, the website also needs moving images, said Hans-Werner Kilz, editor-in-chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Munich-based leading newspaper is therefore planning to cooperate with ZDF on the Internet in order to obtain the desired film contributions. "Newspapers don't have the billions to invest in the Internet like this," said Kilz.
"We stand for information, while the others provide the entertainment," remarked Thomas Hinrichs from "Tagesthemen". And then the panel returned to the original question: The topic of the leading medium would not be discussed in a bipolar way, but rather in a multipolar way on the network or in the quality network, said ZDF boss Brender. He asked about the definition of a leading medium and then left it at the fact that a leading medium is characterized above all by the fact that it reflects the mood of society.
Where the Bild newspaper used to be the leading medium, it has now been replaced by Spiegel online. The Hamburg Internet portal has the most hits. Brender may not want to be the leading medium with his ZDF, but he also wants his place and to be on the Internet, so to speak. Kilz maintained his opinion that the Internet is indeed an important medium, but that daily newspapers will not die as a result. "Although the SZ will probably be bought up by Google or Yahoo at some point," joked Nikolaus Fest from Bild-Zeitung. "In ten years' time, we will perhaps come together over a debate on leadership," said Brender in the final round, getting to the heart of the meandering discussion.
Tanja C. Schuler, Hamburg
Netzwerk RechercheThe Netzwerk Recherche association was founded in 2001
and is an interest group of investigative journalists in Germany chaired by journalist and political scientist Thomas Leif. Founding member and second chairman is the journalist Hans Leyendecker (see interview). The association aims to lobby
be for investigative journalism, which has been neglected in Germany. It represents the interests of those journalists who want to carry out intensive research, often in the face of resistance from publishers and broadcasters. The association wants to intervene when functionaries obstruct the free flow of information, when no money is made available for research, when colleagues are attacked for correct and critical work or even prosecuted. One of the network's central aims is also to improve training and further education in the field of research. To this end, the association itself develops concepts, helps organize seminars and awards research grants. (ts)