Dr. Tobias Mast published a discussion paper on ‘Strengthening the Resilience of the German Media System’ in the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung‘s ‘FES Impuls’ publication series in December 2020.
Download the discussion paper in German
Journalism in general and public broadcasting in particular are under pressure at a time when their work is particularly important to society. In states where extremist and populist forces gain governmental responsibility, independent media regularly come under pressure. The German federal media system is particularly vulnerable in this regard. How can we prevent state broadcasting treaties from coming under pressure from political agendas? And what legal adjustments are necessary to increase the resilience of public broadcasting?
The paper highlights the legal and structural foundations of public broadcasting and makes it clear that reforms are necessary to ensure its independence in the long term. These include stabilising the Interstate Broadcasting Treaties, clarifying legal uncertainties and taking measures to make political influence more difficult.
Mast, Tobias (2024). Resilienz des deutschen Mediensystems stärken [Strengthening the Resilience of the German Media System]. FES Impuls. Published by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). Available online at: https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/a-p-b/21775.pdf (23 December 2024).