Status: 05.03.2022 4:08 p.m
In the dispute over the leadership of the publishers’ association and Döpfner’s personnel, the Funke media group has now announced that it is leaving the association. Previously, he had tried to overcome the ditches.
The Funke media group wants to end its membership in the publishers’ association BDZV. The media house confirmed this at the request of the German Press Agency. First the media magazine “Medieninsider” and the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reported about it.
In a letter from the Essen-based media group to the vice-presidents of the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV), CEO Christoph Rüth writes: BDZV membership will be terminated on June 30, 2022 with due notice. According to the association’s statutes, the period is six months, so the house would leave at the turn of the year.
Funke criticism of the head of the association Döpfner
The exit considerations of the house, which is one of the largest publishers in Germany, had recently become public knowledge. There has been unrest in the association for a long time. Funke had publicly criticized the association president and Axel Springer boss Mathias Döpfner in connection with the case of the former “Bild” editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt and campaigned for a change at the top of the association.
The media group had also presented a discussion paper for a reform process of the association. At a delegates’ meeting in February, it was then decided to form a project group within the association. Most recently, the three BDZV vice-presidents wrote to Funke publisher Julia Becker asking them to remain in the interest group. At the same time, they also supported BDZV President Döpfner. A vice post was brought into play for Funke.
The fourth vice post has recently become vacant because the CEO of the Madsack media group, Thomas Düffert, resigned amidst the unrest in the association. Since then he has remained a member of the Executive Committee.
Funke: It’s not just about structural issues
Funke boss Rüth stated in the letter that “our confidence in the executive committee’s willingness to change was not exactly strengthened”. She declined the offer to publisher Becker with thanks. The Funke boss emphasized elsewhere: The aim was to give a clear signal to the speculation about the power struggle in the association and to draw attention to the core of the discussion: “The values for which we as an industry in journalism and in dealing with our employees employees stand and want to stand. In this respect, the reform of the BDZV we are aiming for is not just about structural, but also about cultural issues”.
In response to the dpa request, the BDZV said in response to the letter: “The Presidium has noted the reply from the Funke Group with regret. We will discuss this in our committees.” The Funke Group announced that it would work in the “BDZV Modernization Task Force” despite the announced exit. “We would be pleased if the joint work on the course to be taken and the results lead to a reconsideration of the exit decision.”