The Landesanstalt für Medien NRW has initiated administrative proceedings against the RTL subsidiary RTL Interactive. The reason is the suspicion of a violation of journalistic due diligence in connection with interviews with the patient killer Niels Högel, said a spokeswoman on Tuesday in Düsseldorf. Previously, various complaints were received from viewers at the media authority and the Oldenburg penal institution, where Högel is incarcerated.
The streaming service TV Now of the broadcaster RTL, which now operates under the name RTL plus, published a documentary on the Högel case in September. In addition to many other participants in the case, the convicted murderer himself had a say. Numerous victim representatives and experts reacted indignantly to the interview. The JVA Oldenburg accused the production company Filmpool Entertainment of having conducted the interview with Högel without permission. TV interviews with prisoners and film recordings in a prison would have to be approved by the institution and, in a second step, by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice. The media attention increases “the instinct for validity and the self-portrayal of the prisoner” and is “incompatible with the treatment of Mr. Högel”.
In response to criticism of the series, the RTL group declared that the “sensitive handling of the victims’ feelings” always had the highest priority when creating the documentary. All interviewees had been informed in advance that an interview with Högel would also be part of the program and that their consent had been given. The fact that Högel also commented on his deeds in the program is believed “for reasons of journalistic balance”.
The former nurse Högel was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 6, 2019 by the Oldenburg Regional Court for a total of 85 murders in the Oldenburg Clinic and in the Delmenhorst Hospital. The court was convinced that he had poisoned his patients with drugs that led to cardiac arrest in order to be able to subsequently resuscitate them.