Category Archives: Introduction

When discussing a country’s media climate, it is important to note that change is inevitable. Much like in the economy, a single event can significantly change the media landscape of a region. This was particularly true in Germany during the Gladbeck hostage situation or what DW referred to as the “darkest hour in postwar German media history.”

According to the same article by Michael Marek and  Marie Todeskino, on August 16, 1988, Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner held two citizens hostage in Gladbeck, Germany. The two then fled throughout Germany in a stolen bus, picking up more hostages along the way. Though hostage situations may be new, the way in which the German media depicted it was groundbreaking. For the first time, citizens were able to watch and hear the pursuit live. One of the robbers went as far as to demand only to speak through the media.

A reporter interviews one of the hostage-takers while the crime takes place

With no standardized limits put in place for ethical journalism, reporters vastly mishandled the case, one even actively participating by giving the hostage-takers directions. Jo Groebel, a media psychologist told the DW that the journalists egged-on the criminals by giving in to their need for attention.

One of the hostage-takers holds a victim at gunpoint

As a result of the almost unbelievable lack of judgment by journalists in the Gladbeck situation, laws have been put into place in Germany to keep reporters from speaking with hostage-takers while a crime takes place. In the current digital age, it is more important than ever for journalists to tread lightly when covering crime. Alexander Filipovic, a media ethics professor at a prominent German university, told the DW, “”The Internet gives criminals all sorts of possibilities to get their message out there. In a way, the striving for public attention has become part of the crime itself.”

Media in Germany has changed significantly over time, from the dark period of Nazi propaganda to the Gladbeck situation and now in the digital age. More than ever, media outlets must strive to remain ethical while they try to make money in the changing landscape.

To read the original DW article, click here: http://www.dw.de/the-day-the-german-press-became-the-story/a-17025034