If the Berliner Zeitung did not exist, one would have to invent it
The Berliner Zeitung is celebrating its 80th birthday. Its critical spirit is needed more than ever. A commentary by the editor-in-chief of the Berliner Zeitung.
“Berlin is coming to life!” That was the headline in the Berliner Zeitung on May 21, 1945. It was the first edition of the Berliner Zeitung to be published between the destruction and the new beginnings in East Berlin. Now the Berliner Zeitung is celebrating its 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, a special edition of the Berliner Zeitung dedicated to this new beginning will be published on Saturday (May 24, 2025). To kick things off, you can read an article by editor-in-chief Tomasz Kurianowicz that describes the journalistic focuses of the Berliner Zeitung. The special edition of the Berliner Zeitung marking its 80th birthday will be available at kiosks on May 24 and 25, 2025, or you can find all the articles online at berliner-zeitung.de . You can subscribe to the Berliner Zeitung here .
What should the ideal journalist be like? They should be critical, independent of the state, courageous, incorruptible, alert, and above all, skeptical of any ideology. They should not align themselves with any cause, even a good one, constantly question themselves and their sources, be capable of changing their minds, be willing to talk to those they don't trust (or dislike), and walk through the world with their eyes open. A bad journalist is an ideologue, has already formed their opinion before doing any research, and is a campaigner for a program—an activist, not a reporter. The Berliner Zeitung is a place for critical journalism, a place for people who struggle daily to live up to the standard of providing the most neutral reporting possible. Now this newspaper is celebrating its 80th birthday and can look back on a long, proud tradition in which balancing freedom has always played a special role. Even in the GDR, the Berliner Zeitung was a paper where one could cautiously think outside the box, challenge authority, question state decrees, and sharpen one's critical spirit, where the line between what was permitted and what was politically opposed was carefully balanced. Today, we continue this defiance—as a newspaper in the heart of the city—in a reunified and free Berlin, sometimes even to extremes. For one reason: to defend the political freedoms that the fall of the Berlin Wall gave us. As editor-in-chief of the Berliner Zeitung, I am proud of this.
I'm convinced that if the Berliner Zeitung didn't exist, it would have to be invented. An editorial office where people with different viewpoints, biographies, and attitudes come together and, with diverging perspectives, offer readers a comprehensive picture of reality is a gift. It must also be said: there has hardly been a time since reunification when critical journalism was needed as much as it is today. Now, as cliques are on the rise, countless echo chambers are forming, and other opinions are opposed rather than accepted as legitimate alternative points of view, we need journalism that builds bridges across the divide and enables people to think outside the box. Social media, controlled by algorithms, is not the right medium for this task.
A writer once said that journalism exists to turn the world a little to the left when it drifts to the right, and to turn it to the right when it tilts too far to the left. Journalism as a corrective, as an authority that examines the zeitgeist, is just as important as journalism that, in a liberal democracy, brings into the discourse those who find no place at the table of the powerful, regardless of which side they come from. Times are complicated and characterized by culture wars that have not left journalism untouched. Fear of change and the erosion of established structures, journalism has partly transformed into an instrument of defense of the status quo. I know the reasons. In a time when democracies are under scrutiny (including by their own populations) and authoritarian tendencies are taking hold, the journalist who wants to defend democracy sometimes mutates into a fighter for the tried and tested, forgetting that they can also be a mirror for the necessary new.
I'd like to give an example with reference to Germany: It's not always clear whether a journalist who takes to the streets for "More Democracy!" and protests against the AfD is defending democratic diversity and the free formation of opinions and will – or whether they are advocating for entrenched structures that actually require reform to remain attractive to a large portion of the voting population. I am convinced that anyone who soberly examines the current state of our society would come to a similar conclusion to mine: Anyone who ignores Germany's necessary economic and social reforms is leaving the field to the AfD.
Today I would say: Don't shoot the messengerDelivering unpleasant, painful information has become the core of the Berliner Zeitung's reporting in recent years. I'd just like to cite a few anecdotal examples: The editorial team warned early on about the potential collateral damage of pandemic policy. Berliner Zeitung writers pondered a likely second election victory for Donald Trump early on. The fact that opinion pieces and reports discussed whether Ukraine could win a military conflict with an aggressive and nuclear-armed Russia—and whether there was an alternative to Western policy to contain the Kremlin's imperial expansion, an alternative to a strategy that also harbors the potential for escalation—has repeatedly led to harsh, often unfair reactions. As if the harsher the polemics against parts of our reporting would rid reality of its complexity and contradictions. They don't. Therefore, it's all the more important to openly discuss the opportunities and risks of political decisions, even if it hurts.
Today I would say: Don't shoot the messenger. Donald Trump is president of the United States again, Ukraine hasn't won the war yet, and the New York Times is writing editorials complaining that the US government has deceived it about coronavirus and the virus's origins. Furthermore, we are observing (the Berliner Zeitung has reported on this several times) a strengthening of China and the global South – and witnessing the self-confidence of an expansive Russia, which, according to military experts, has the necessary reserves to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine this year and, in doing so, increase pressure on the EU.
We at the Berliner Zeitung reflect the risks and opportunities of the political presentA journalist can lament the state of these realities, but they cannot close their eyes to how the world is developing. Otherwise, journalism degenerates into pure wishful thinking, in the worst case, a form of propaganda that leaves the reader unclear about the fractures and contradictions of their own perspective, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We at the Berliner Zeitung reflect the risks and opportunities of the political present, discuss them, and explore solutions, even uncomfortable, difficult, and unpopular ones, with the insatiable desire to chart a path for us as people in Berlin, Germany, and Europe to continue to live in peace and freedom and coexist as part of society. Much of what Berliner Zeitung articles warned about in the past has come true. And if I may put it somewhat boldly: Had some decision-makers followed our reporting more closely, they might have been better prepared for difficult situations than we are experiencing today in political Berlin. This special edition is also a testament to this.
The Berliner Zeitung's pronounced awareness of problems, based on its ability to embrace multiple perspectives, certainly has something to do with our eventful 80-year history. But above all, it's the fact that the people working here are very familiar with disruptions and successes, opportunities and risks. The Berliner Zeitung is one of the few media outlets in the Federal Republic of Germany in East German hands; the Berliner Verlag publishing house was acquired by Silke and Holger Friedrich six years ago. This isn't trivial, but rather a significant asset.
The disruptions and transformations experienced by the people behind the Berliner Zeitung, often turning into success stories, should not lead to defensive attitudes among our competitors, but rather arouse curiosity about what we can contribute to the discourse. 80 years after the founding of the Berliner Zeitung and 80 years after the end of the Second World War, we need a broad, open-ended debate about the conditions under which we want to shape this rapidly changing Germany in the future. This discussion should encompass all sectors of society, in both East and West Germany. For this to succeed, we must find common ground, treat each other with respect, and openly discuss differences, even controversially. The Berliner Zeitung invites you to engage in this discussion and discuss solutions openly, in order to open up new possibilities and pave the way for a peaceful future. We work towards this goal every day, with all our strength, commitment, and courage. For an open, vibrant society that is open to other opinions.
Tomasz Kurianowicz is editor-in-chief of the Berliner Zeitung.
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