The weekly newspaper Die Zeit today published an investigative story about Springer boss Mathias Döpfner. Above all, his image of East Germany is said to be extremely negative.
The weekly newspaper Die Zeit published an investigative story about Springer boss Mathias Döpfner today. Today’s issue explains how the Springer boss influenced the Bild newspaper. Above all, his negative image of East Germany is part of the report, as is his influence on the Bild newspaper.
The text says, for example: “Internal documents from the Springer house, which ZEIT was able to see, now allow for the first time an insight into the management of Europe’s most important publishing house – and into Döpfner’s world of ideas. Supplemented by discussions with insiders and those involved, they paint the picture of a CEO who seemed driven by his rejection of Angela Merkel. Who despises the elites (excluding himself and his friends) and Bild seemed to regard as his tool for making politics. Donald Trump praised, blasphemed about intolerant Muslims and even more sharply about the East Germans: ‘The ossis are either communists or fascists. In between they don’t. Disgusting.'”
According to their statement, the Zeit journalists had access to internal emails from Springer and could have viewed emails and SMS messages from Döpfner. The question the journalists want to answer is to what extent Döpfner influenced the Bild newspaper when Julian Reichelt was editor-in-chief. Reichelt was fired when allegations of abuse of power were made against him. Döpfner held on to Reichelt for a long time, but then dropped him before taking over the US news portal Politico. According to Zeit, Döpfner is said to have written to his ex-colleague Reichelt after the scandal: “Professionally you deceived me and caused me damage like no one else. Personally and in terms of our shared world view, I still feel very connected to you. I think you know that, but I wanted to tell you again.”
The text also talks about Döpfner’s political agenda. He should not believe in the problem of climate change. He is also critical of migration. In addition, his negative image of East Germany and the Chancellor is reported. “Friede Springer is a friend of the then Chancellor. Döpfner apparently thinks Angela Merkel is crazy or dangerous. At Springer-Verlag, two experienced investigative reporters are investigating the chancellor. The question is whether Merkel once spied for the Stasi or the KGB. They turn over every stone. But the research on the ‘big thing’ (Döpfner), in which the CEO is personally interested, ends in nothing.” It is also said that Friede Springer supported Merkel in her Corona course, while Julian Reichelt for his radical criticism was criticized by the Chancellor.
A separate area revolves around East Germans in the text. It says in the time: “One of his favorite targets are the East Germans: ‘My mother always warned me about the Ossis. From Kaiser Wilhelm to Hitler to Honnecker without having enjoyed us reeduction in between. That leads in a direct line to AFD.’”
Then it goes on to say: “In a message dated October 8, 2019, Döpfner is thinking about ‘writing a text on 39 years of the Wall in which I call for the resumption of reunification. My mother always said it. The ossis will never become democrats. Perhaps one should turn the former GDR into an agricultural and production zone with a uniform wage.’ The number 39 is probably a typo, back then it was about 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall. By ‘resurrection’, one can assume that Döpfner probably means ‘revocation’.”
More to come.