Hamburg media house
“Spiegel” editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann is leaving the magazine
Steffen Klusmann was editor-in-chief at “Spiegel” from 2019 to 2023
© Christian Charisius / DPA
At “Spiegel” rumors about a power struggle became louder and louder. Now the news magazine gets a new peak.
Editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann leaves the news magazine “Der Spiegel”. The 57-year-old is leaving the editor-in-chief “by mutual consent” after the implementation of far-reaching reforms in recent years, the media company announced on Thursday in Hamburg. “Business Insider” and “dwdl.de” had previously reported on an impending departure. Klusmann has been at the helm of the news magazine since early 2019. The new editor-in-chief is now the “Spiegel” author Dirk Kurbjuweit.
In the past there had been rumors about power struggles at the top of the “Spiegel”.
Klusmann was quoted in the statement as saying, among other things: “We have achieved a great deal together. Recently, however, management and I have all too often failed to reach agreement on key strategic issues – which has now resulted in my resignation.” Kurbjuweit said: “In the past few years, a great basis has been created to ensure the “mirror” a permanent digital future and to make the magazine even better.”
Klusmann started as editor-in-chief at “Spiegel” after the Claas Relotius scandal
Klusmann’s start as editor-in-chief was bumpy, because it coincided with the time when the magazine’s biggest scandal was being worked up: the affair surrounding the forged texts by the hitherto celebrated “Spiegel” author Claas Relotius. Leading the editorial team during this difficult time earned him respect.
At that time, the 57-year-old Klusmann switched from “Manager Magazin”, which he had been editor-in-chief since November 2013, to the top job within the “Spiegel” publishing group. Before that, the native of Karlsruhe had been deputy editor-in-chief of “Stern” for a few months. His earlier professional positions included – with interruptions – his position at the “Financial Times Deutschland” from 1999. In 2004 he became editor-in-chief there. The newspaper (Gruner + Jahr) was discontinued in 2012.
In an interview with the German Press Agency at the end of 2021 on the 75th anniversary of the magazine “Der Spiegel”, Klusmann said: “You should factor in the fact that you can quickly tear yourself up at the top of the ‘Spiegel’ when you accept the job. Otherwise, out of sheer fear, you either do nothing or do everything wrong.”