Press Council Anniversary

The German Press Council sets its goal as overseeing that journalists report accurately and working to stop discrimination and slander as well as preventing the press from using dishonest research methods. The council, however, does not have the authority to impose sanctions and can only give out warnings and reprimands.

The German Press Council started life in Bonn in 1956 when a group of five publishers and five journalists were sitting around a pub table. They wanted to make a stand against the federal press law. At the time, the interior minister was planning to establish a federal press watchdog. Instead, the journalists and publishers set up their own.

DW.WORLD.DE: What does the German Press Council do?

We defend press freedom, for example when official inquiries impact journalistic content. We become involved when editorial offices are searched or when material is confiscated.

We also become involved when there are issues such as journalists showing bias towards a particular brand or company in their work, in a deceptive and sneaky way. Or when it comes to questions of journalistic dependence, such as how far can a journalist's relationship go. Or what are the problems concerning the protection of victims in the media. In addition, we also work through between 600 and 800 individual complaints per year regarding individual articles.

What are the issues surrounding press freedom in Germany? Does freedom of the press need to be protected in Germany?

Press freedom and freedom of expression are enshrined in Germany's constitution, but still there are some questions that need to be resolved: How do journalists receive access to information; who is obligated, in the government departments, to give out this information. Other issues include what happens when I receive information and want to protect my source, but the police or state prosecutors doesn't consider that, what happens to press freedom then?

It is not uncommon that a journalist's work is confiscated, and legal authorities try to find out the source or materials to then use this information in order to prosecute the case.

These are points where press freedom is really pushed to the limit, and that's when fine-tuning becomes necessary.

Why does the Press Council operate under voluntary controls, and not state control?

It would be counter-productive if we would provoke the state to tighten laws against the media. The existence of the Press Council over the last 50 years has shown that the German federal government and states are very careful about the regulation of the press through laws. I think it is right that the industry recognizes for itself that it has to work for its privileges and has to be responsible. That is why is should be voluntary, because then there is no obligation to the state, and with the voluntary system we have greater recognition of our role.

But what about with tabloid papers, such as the Bild, what can an official reprimand really mean to such a media giant?

Even the Bild and its current editor-in-chief are annoyed when other media report that Bild has been reprimanded. They also have to print the reprimands in the paper themselves.

Complaint investigations several times a year also use considerable resources. This means the editor-in-chief and the legal department and other departments have to address the issue. If they could avoid complaints investigations by the Press Council, then they would surely do so.

Does the Press Council need to be able to give out stronger punishments?

I believe that we don't need other punishments; we need more effective self-control perhaps with more publicity, that we receive more response from the press. The German president emphasized that in his speech today.

What are the Press Council's struggles for the future?

We will certainly be looking at the grey zone between journalism and PR. We do that already, but we need to increase our efforts here. The electronic press is also very important -- the recognition that the code of ethics is valid for electronic press as well as printed press -- that is the information that is professionally published in the Internet.

Also the defense of freedom of the press. When I think of how many editorial departments have been searched, how much material has been confiscated, such as at Cicero magazine, or Dresden's Morgenpost. Journalists have been listened to on the telephone. There are continual injuries of the press freedom. We have to stay on the ball and push for better regulations.