In the spring there were allegations against “Bild” editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt of abuse of power. Reichelt got a second chance. Now there are new media reports, and the group is drawing a line.
Berlin – The media group Axel Springer has released “Bild” editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt from his duties with immediate effect. The company announced this on Monday in Berlin.
Johannes Boie will be the new chairman of the “Bild” editorial team. The 37-year-old is currently editor-in-chief of the Springer newspaper “Welt am Sonntag”. Reichelt is leaving the media group and thus also Germany’s largest and highest-circulation tabloid.
Springer justified the end of the collaboration with the 41-year-old at the top as follows: “As a result of press research, the company had gained new insights into the current behavior of Julian Reichelt in the last few days. The company investigated this information. The management board learned that Julian Reichelt did not clearly separate personal and professional matters even after completing the compliance procedure in spring 2021 and told the management board the untruth. “
Internal procedure in the spring
In the spring, the group initiated the internal procedure. According to Springer, the core of the investigation was the allegations of abuse of power in connection with consensual relationships with female employees and drug use in the workplace. The group examined allegations and came to the conclusion that Reichelt should keep his post. It was a second chance. After a temporary leave of absence, he returned to the job.
The abrupt end was announced on Monday. The whole thing started with a report in the “New York Times”: The US newspaper reported on Sunday in a long article about the Axel Springer media group, also with a view to the plans to take over the US media group Politico.
Springer wants to grow more strongly in its digital businesses and decided with the Polit-Newsletter Politico for what it claims to be the largest company takeover in the company’s history. Authorities still have to approve the deal. Springer sees a growth market in the USA.
Abuses and abuse of power at Axel Springer
In the article, the US newspaper also dealt with the allegations against Reichelt that became known in the spring and brought research into play that the investigative team of the Ippen media group (“Frankfurter Rundschau”, “Münchner Merkur”, “TZ”) had carried out in the past Months. This research has not yet been published. The media magazine “Übermedien” also reported on this.
Actually, they should have already been published, the Ippen media group initially decided against publication, following the influence of the publisher Dirk Ippen. This sparked criticism, and the research team wrote a letter to the management and the publisher.
The letter was circulating on the Internet. It said: “Our research results point to grievances and abuse of power at Axel Springer and by Germany’s most powerful editor-in-chief.” It also said: “We were particularly irritated by the fact that there were no legal or editorial reasons for stopping the research were listed. “
The newspaper “Frankfurter Rundschau” (FR), which also belongs to the Ippen media group, wrote in an online report on its own behalf: “We support the letter of protest from the investigative team to the publisher Dirk Ippen. Editorial independence is the indispensable basis for quality journalism, trust is its most valuable asset. This must never be violated. “
So far it has remained unclear whether the research by Ippen-Investigativ might be published at a later date. When asked by the German Press Agency, the media group did not comment on this. The reason for stopping the publication was: “As a media group that is in direct competition with” Bild “, we have to be very careful not to give the impression that we want to harm a competitor economically.”
The media company, which publishes the tabloid “TZ” in Munich, added: “That is why the decision was made to avoid any impression that we could be part of an attempt to cause such economic damage. With that the topic of a first publication of this research was off the table. “
According to the Ippen media company, Springer had no influence on the decision to forego publication. “The exchange with Springer was limited to the usual correspondence between the respective lawyers in these cases.”
A Springer spokesman said on request: “With Axel Springer’s knowledge, there was no attempt to prevent publications in connection with the compliance investigation. This does not affect legal notices that serve to protect the legitimate interests of the company and its employees. “
Reichelt with Axel Springer since 2002
Reichelt has worked for the media group since 2002. The journalist was chairman of the “Bild” editors-in-chief and was in charge of the editorial responsibility for the Bild brand with Germany’s largest tabloid daily newspaper with a circulation of around 1.2 million copies (with Berlin tabloid “BZ”). The 41-year-old was also the management spokesman for the image brand. Reichelt became known to many through his work as a reporter in war zones.
Springer boss Mathias Döpfner said on Monday: “Julian Reichelt developed” Bild “in an excellent journalistic way and made the brand future-proof with BILD LIVE. We would have liked to continue the path of cultural renewal we have taken with the editorial team and the publishing house at BILD together with Julian Reichelt. This is no longer possible. “
In addition to Boie in the top position at “Bild”, Alexandra Würzbach will remain editor-in-chief of “Bild am Sonntag” and will be responsible for personnel and editorial management. She had already taken over this area when Reichelt returned in spring. As editor-in-chief, Claus Strunz is responsible for the range of moving images.
Springer employs around 16,000 people worldwide. In addition to the journalistic flagships “Bild” and “Welt”, the group is active in digital businesses such as newsletters. Classified portals are also an important pillar. Springer also invests in other companies. In 2019, the media group in Berlin entered into a partnership with the US financial investor KKR and also withdrew from the stock exchange in 2020. The goal: to grow faster in digital businesses.
In the past few months, Springer has carried out a mammoth project: its newspaper, “Bild”, which is still with the highest circulation, also got a TV station of the same name. The free-to-air TV program started in August. Springer wants to invest millions in the expansion of its video offering. In Germany, a lot of money is still being made with advertising on TV. dpa
