Review from the Bergson Academy: "What is journalism allowed to do?"

Simon Bergmann, partner at one of the most renowned media law firms in Germany, was a guest at the Academy in the Bergson Kunstkraftwerk this week with Sönke Iwersen, Head of Investigative Research at Handelsblatt.

Freedom of the press - a buzzword that everyone knows. But when does it encroach on personal rights and how do you satisfy the public's need for information? So what is journalism allowed to do? Together with the Bergson Academy and our experts, we have dedicated ourselves to this area of tension and would like to give you an insight into the event today.

If one of the factors does not apply, such reporting is not permitted and the law firm Schertz Bergmann will take action. In the case of such suspicious reporting, as was the case with Till Lindemann, among others, a balance must always be struck between personal rights and press law. The interesting thing, as Simon Bergmann pointed out, is that there is little regulation in Germany and much takes place via court rulings. From his day-to-day practice, he reported that he generally believes his clients when they come to him with a case. He has not yet been disappointed in this belief. To sum up, Bergmann stated that a war had begun between editorial offices and the law firm that was not going in the right direction. The activist side must be eliminated and objective research returned to.

Sönke Iwersen, Head of Investigative Research at Handelsblatt, was also a guest at our discussion evening. He reported on the research at the time into the ERGO case and its incentive trips to Budapest and the research into Elon Musk, which will soon be published in a book. Iwersen believes that journalism must always be thoroughly and carefully researched, but also admits that the pressure to publish a story has become enormous in the digital age. "If we want to do a good story, then we can also write novels."

Iwersen sees the competition more in people like Elon Musk, who can reach 200 million people with one tweet. The shift to the Internet - around 75-80% of Handelsblatt's readers consume the newspaper online - has increased the speed of publication enormously and there are often only a few hours to write an article. In contrast, the Handelsblatt team sometimes takes half a year to do its research.

The Academy evening provided a profound and interesting insight into the distinction between freedom of the press and personal rights. We are already looking forward to the second evening of the "Responsibility of the Media" series on November 26 with Dr. Dirk Ippen and Philipp Welte.