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Der Spiegel

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For the web presence of the magazine, seeDer Spiegel(website).

Der Spiegel
1 May 2004 issue
Editor-in-ChiefSteffen Klusmann
CategoriesNews magazine
FrequencyWeekly (on Saturdays)
Circulation695,910/ week
PublisherSpiegel-Verlag
FounderRudolf Augstein
First issue4 January 1947;77 years ago(1947-01-04)
CountryGermany
Based inHamburg
LanguageGerman
Websitespiegel.de
ISSN0038-7452(print)
2195-1349(web)

Der Spiegel(German pronunciation:[deːɐ̯ˈʃpiːɡl̩],lit. 'The Mirror',stylized inall caps) is a German weeklynews magazinepublished inHamburg.[1]With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022,[2]it is one of the largest such publications in Europe.[3]It was founded in 1947[4][3]byJohn Seymour Chaloner,a British army officer, andRudolf Augstein,a formerWehrmachtradio operator who was recognized in 2000 by theInternational Press Instituteas one of the fiftyWorld Press Freedom Heroes.[5]

Der Spiegelis known in German-speaking countries mostly for itsinvestigative journalism.It has played a key role in uncovering many political scandals such as theSpiegelaffairin 1962 and theFlick affairin the 1980s. According toThe Economist,Der Spiegelis one ofcontinental Europe's most influential magazines.[6]The news website by the same name was launched in 1994 under the nameSpiegel Onlinewith an independent editorial staff. Today, the content is created by a shared editorial team and the website uses the same media brand as the printed magazine.

History

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Old Spiegel headquarters,Hamburg(1969–2011)
Spiegel headquarters since 2011, Hamburg

The first edition ofDer Spiegelwas published inHanoveron Saturday, 4 January 1947.[7]Its release was initiated and sponsored by the British occupational administration and preceded by a magazine titledDiese Woche(German:This Week),[7]which had first been published in November 1946.[3]After disagreements with the British, the magazine was handed over toRudolf Augsteinas chief editor, and was renamedDer Spiegel.From the first edition in January 1947, Augstein held the position of editor-in-chief, which he retained until his death on 7 November 2002.

After 1950, the magazine was owned by Rudolf Augstein and John Jahr;[8]Jahr's share merged with Richard Gruner's in 1965 to form the publishing companyGruner + Jahr.In 1969, Augstein bought out Gruner + Jahr forDM42 million and became the sole owner ofDer Spiegel.In 1971, Gruner + Jahr bought back a 25% share in the magazine. In 1974, Augstein restructured the company to make the employees shareholders. All employees with more than three years seniority were offered the opportunity to become an associate and participate in the management of the company, as well as in the profits.[citation needed]Since 1952,Der Spiegelhas been headquartered in its own building in the old town part of Hamburg.[9]

Der Spiegel'scirculation rose quickly. From 15,000 copies in 1947, it grew to 65,000 in 1948 and 437,000 in 1961. It was nearly 500,000 copies in 1962.[10]By the 1970s, it had reached a plateau at about 900,000 copies. When theGerman reunificationin 1990 made it available to a new readership in formerEast Germany,the circulation exceeded one million.

The magazine's influence is based on two pillars; firstly themoral authorityestablished by investigative journalism since the early years and proven alive by several scoops during the 1980s; secondly the economic power of the prolificSpiegelpublishing house. Since 1988, it has produced the TV programSpiegel TV,and further diversified during the 1990s.

During the second quarter of 1992 the circulation ofDer Spiegelwas 1.1 million copies.[11]In 1994,Spiegel Onlinewas launched.[12][13]It had separate and independent editorial staff fromDer Spiegel.In 1999, the circulation ofDer Spiegelwas 1,061,000 copies.[14]

U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bushholding a copy ofDer Spiegel,March 2002

Der Spiegelhad an average circulation of 1,076,000 copies in 2003.[15]In 2007 the magazine started a new regionalsupplementinSwitzerland.[16]A 50-page study of Switzerland, it was the first regional supplement of the magazine.[16]

In 2010Der Spiegelwas employing the equivalent of 80 full-timefact checkers,which theColumbia Journalism Reviewcalled "most likely the world's largest fact checking operation".[17]The same year it was the third best-selling general interest magazine in Europe with a circulation of 1,016,373 copies.[18]

In 2018,Der Spiegelbecame involved in ajournalistic scandalafter it discovered and made public that one of its leading reporters,Claas Relotius,had "falsified his articles on a grand scale".[19][20]

Reception

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WhenStefan Austtook over in 1994, the magazine's readers realized that his personality was different from his predecessor. In 2005, a documentary by Stephan Lamby quoted him as follows: "We stand at a very big cannon!"[21]Politicians of all stripes who had to deal with the magazine's attention often voiced their disaffection for it. The outspoken conservativeFranz Josef Strausscontended thatDer Spiegelwas "theGestapoof our time ". He referred to journalists in general as" rats ".[22]The Social DemocratWilly Brandtcalled it "Scheißblatt" (i.e., a "shit paper" ) during his term in office asChancellor.[23]

Der Spiegeloften produces feature-length articles on problems affecting Germany (like demographic trends, the federal system's gridlock or the issues of its education system) and describes optional strategies and their risks in depth.[24][25][26][27][28]The magazine plays the role ofopinion leaderin the German press.[29]

Investigative journalism

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Der Spiegelhas a distinctive reputation for revealing political misconduct and scandals. OnlineEncyclopædia Britannicaemphasizes this quality of the magazine as follows: "The magazine is renowned for its aggressive, vigorous, and well-writtenexposésof government malpractice and scandals. "[3][12]It merited recognition for this as early as 1950 when the federal parliament launched an inquiry intoSpiegel's accusations that bribed members of parliament had promotedBonnoverFrankfurtas the seat of West Germany's government.

During theSpiegel scandalin 1962, which followed the release of a report about the possible low state of readiness of theGerman armed forces,minister of defense and conservative figureheadFranz Josef StrausshadDer Spiegelinvestigated. In the course of this investigation, the editorial offices were raided by police while Rudolf Augstein and otherDer Spiegeleditors were arrested on charges of treason. Despite a lack of sufficient authority, Strauss even went after the article's author,Conrad Ahlers[ar;arz;cs;fr;de;no;pl],who was consequently arrested in Spain where he was on holiday. When the legal case collapsed, the scandal led to a major shake-up in chancellorKonrad Adenauer's cabinet, and Strauss had to stand down. The affair was generally received as an attack on the freedom of the press. Since then,Der Spiegelhas repeatedly played a significant role in revealing political grievances and misdeeds, including theFlick Affair.[10]

The Spiegel scandal is now remembered for altering the political culture of post-war Germany and—with the first mass demonstrations and public protests—being a turning point from the old Obrigkeitsstaat (authoritarianstate) to a moderndemocracy.[citation needed]

In 2010, the magazine supportedWikiLeaksin publishingleaked materials from the United States State Department,along withThe Guardian,The New York Times,El País,andLe Monde[30]and in October 2013 with the help of formerNSAcontractorEdward Snowdenunveiled the systematic wiretapping ofChancellor of GermanyAngela Merkel's private cell phone over a period of over 10 years at the hands of theNational Security Agency'sSpecial Collection Service(SCS).[31]

The leading role of the magazine in investigative journalism and its monopoly came to end in 2013 since other German media outlets, includingSüddeutsche Zeitung,Bild,ARDandZDF,began to effectively deal withpolitical scandals.[32]

In November 2023, Der Spiegel joined with theInternational Consortium of Investigative Journalists,Paper Trail Media[de]and 69 media partners includingDistributed Denial of Secretsand theOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project(OCCRP) and more than 270 journalists in 55 countries and territories[33][34]to produce the 'Cyprus Confidential' report on the financial network which supports the regime ofVladimir Putin,mostly with connections to Cyprus, and showed Cyprus to have strong links with high-up figures in the Kremlin, some of whom have been sanctioned.[35][36]Government officials including Cyprus presidentNikos Christodoulides[37]and European lawmakers[38]began responding to the investigation's findings in less than 24 hours,[39]calling for reforms and launching probes.[40][41]

2018 fabrication scandal

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On 19 December 2018,Der Spiegelmade public that reporterClaas Relotiushad admitted that he had "falsified his articles on a grand scale", inventing facts, persons and quotations in at least 14 of his stories.[19][20]The magazine uncovered the fraud after a co-author of one of Relotius's stories, Juan Moreno, became suspicious of the veracity of Relotius's contributions and gathered evidence against him.[20]Relotius resigned, telling the magazine that he was "sick" and needed to get help.Der Spiegelleft his articles accessible, but with a notice referring to the magazine's ongoing investigation into the fabrications.[19]

The Wall Street Journalcited a formerDer Spiegeljournalist who said "some of the articles at issue appeared to confirm certain German stereotypes about Trump voters, asking" was this possible because of ideological bias? "[42]An apology ensued fromDer Spiegelfor looking for a cliché of a Trump-voting town, and not finding it.[43]Mathias Bröckers,formerDie Tageszeitungeditor, wrote: "the imaginative author simply delivered what his superiors demanded and fit into their spin".[44]American journalistJames Kirchickclaimed inThe Atlanticthat "Der Spiegelhas long peddled crude and sensational anti-Americanism. "[45][46]

2022 fake news about refugee death at the Greece–Turkey borders

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In the summer of 2022,Der Spiegelpublished three articles and a podcast regarding the death of a refugee girl on an islet in theEvros riverat the Greece–Turkey borders, accusing Greece of failing to aid the refugees which caused the girl's death. But at the end of December 2022, the magazine retracted the articles and the podcast.[47][48]In 2023, the Swiss newspaperNeue Zürcher Zeitung(NZZ) wrote that this story was "one of the largest fake news breakdowns since Claas Relotius."[49]

Bans

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In January 1978 the office ofDer SpiegelinEast Berlinwas closed by theEast German governmentfollowing the publication of critical articles against the conditions in the country.[50]A special 25 March 2008 edition of the magazine onIslamwas banned inEgyptin April 2008 for publishing material deemed by authorities to be insulting Islam andMuhammed.[51][52]

Head office

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Der Spiegelbegan moving into its current head office inHafenCityin September 2011. The facility was designed byHenning Larsen ArchitectsofDenmark.The magazine's offices were previously in a high-rise building with 8,226 square metres (88,540 sq ft) of office space.[53]

Editors-in-chief

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See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^"Der Spiegel – Magazin".Euro Topics.
  2. ^"Der Spiegel: paid circulation Germany 2022 – Statista".Statista.Retrieved30 August2023.
  3. ^abcd"Der Spiegel".Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2 June 2023.Retrieved30 August2023.
  4. ^Catherine C. Fraser; Dierk O. Hoffmann (2006).Pop Culture Germany!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle.ABC-CLIO. p. 200.ISBN978-1-85109-733-3.
  5. ^"Laudatory submission for Hero of World Press Freedom Award: Rudolf Augstein".Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2011.
  6. ^"Der Spiegel and Germany's press: His country's mirror".The Economist.16 November 2002.Retrieved30 June2013.Mr Augstein's success in making Der Spiegel one of continental Europe's most influential magazines...
  7. ^ab"Six Decades of Quality Journalism: The History of DER SPIEGEL".Der Spiegel.5 October 2011.Retrieved23 March2015.
  8. ^Henrik Hofmann (14 March 2016). "Tierbesitzer kompetent beraten am Telefon – Risiko oder Chance?".Veterinär spiegel.26(1): 36–39.doi:10.1055/s-0035-1568267.ISSN0940-8711.S2CID183887227.
  9. ^"Wicona lands Spiegel project in Hamburg".www.hydro.com.Retrieved25 December2017.
  10. ^abFrank Esser; Uwe Hartung (2004). "Nazis, Pollution, and no Sex: Political Scandals as a Reflection of Political Culture in Germany".American Behavioral Scientist.47(1040): 1040–1071.doi:10.1177/0002764203262277.S2CID143578000.
  11. ^Georg Hellack (1992)."Press, Radio and Television in the Federal Republic of Germany"(Report).Inter Nations.Bonn.Retrieved27 April2015.
  12. ^abChristina Schäffner (2005). "Bringing a German Voice to English-speaking Readers: Spiegel International".Language and Intercultural Communication.5(2): 154–167.doi:10.1080/14708470508668891.S2CID143954235.
  13. ^Anne Penketh; Philip Oltermann; Stephen Burgen (12 June 2014)."European newspapers search for ways to survive digital revolution".The Guardian.Paris, Berlin, Barcelona.Retrieved7 January2015.
  14. ^Ingomar Kloss (2001)."Advertising in Germany".In Ingomar Kloss (ed.).Advertising Worldwide: Advertising Conditions in Selected Countries.Berlin; Heidelberg; New York: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 130.ISBN978-3-540-67713-0.
  15. ^"European Publishing Monitor"(PDF).Turku School of Economics (Media Group).March 2007. Archived fromthe original(Report)on 10 October 2017.Retrieved27 March2015.
  16. ^abStephan Russ-Mohl (27 June 2007)."The Lemon Dealers".Der Tagesspiegel.Retrieved23 December2014.
  17. ^Craig Silverman (9 April 2010)."Inside the World's Largest Fact Checking Operation. A conversation with two staffers atDer Spiegel".Columbia Journalism Review.
  18. ^"World Magazine Trends 2010/2011"(PDF).FIPP.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 21 June 2012.Retrieved2 April2015.
  19. ^abc"The Relotius Case: Answers to the Most Important Questions".Spiegel Online.19 December 2018.Retrieved19 December2018.
  20. ^abcKate Connolly (19 December 2018)."Der Spiegel says top journalist faked stories for years".The Guardian.Retrieved19 December2018.
  21. ^""We stand at a very big cannon!" Aust ranks his influence with the Spiegel – and openly acknowledges that he has enemies ".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2012.Retrieved9 April2011.
  22. ^"Strauss claimed that journalists were like vermin around shit (Ratten und Schmeißfliegen)".Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2011.Retrieved9 April2011.
  23. ^"70 Jahre" Der Spiegel ": Alles Gute," Scheißblatt "".tagesschau.de(in German).Retrieved25 December2017.
  24. ^"The best investigative reporting, the widest foreign coverage, the sharpest political analysis, and the most insightful social commentary".The Economist.14 November 2002.Retrieved9 April2011.
  25. ^Sarah Lambert (29 September 1992)."'Der Spiegel' report hits VW shares ".The Independent.London.Retrieved9 April2011.
  26. ^"Holders of sovereign bonds, while taking a so-called haircut, would be guaranteed half the bond's face value as an incentive to take part in debt restructuring, Spiegel said".Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2010.Retrieved9 April2011.
  27. ^"Here's how Spiegel puts it:" Germany is witnessing a stunning political about-face ". It said..."BBC.22 March 2011.Retrieved9 April2011.
  28. ^Luke Harding (14 March 2011)."Der Spiegel has long been a German institution and is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Germany or German politics".The Guardian.London.Retrieved9 April2011.
  29. ^Wolfgang Donsbach (May 2004). "Psychology of news decisions".Journalism.5(2): 131–157.doi:10.1177/146488490452002.S2CID144408017.
  30. ^WikiLeaks FAQ: What Do the Diplomatic Cables Really Tell Us?Der Spiegel,28 November 2010
  31. ^Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in BerlinDer Spiegel,27 October 2013
  32. ^abEric Pfanner (29 April 2013)."As One German Weekly Falters, Another Celebrates Big Gains".The New York Times.Serraval.Retrieved1 November2014.
  33. ^"Inside Cyprus Confidential: The data-driven journalism that helped expose an island under Russian influence - ICIJ".14 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  34. ^"About the Cyprus Confidential investigation - ICIJ".14 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 21 November 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  35. ^"Cyprus Confidential: Leaked Roman Abramovich documents raise fresh questions for Chelsea FC: ICIJ-led investigation reveals how Mediterranean island ignores Russian atrocities and western sanctions to cash in on Putin's oligarchs".The Irish Times.15 November 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
  36. ^"Cyprus Confidential - ICIJ".www.icij.org.14 November 2023.Retrieved14 November2023.
  37. ^"Cypriot president pledges government probe into Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ".15 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  38. ^"Lawmakers call for EU crackdown after ICIJ's Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ".23 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  39. ^"Cypriot president pledges government probe into Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ".15 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  40. ^"Cyprus ignores Russian atrocities, Western sanctions to shield vast wealth of Putin allies - ICIJ".14 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  41. ^Solutions, BDigital Web."Finance Minister perturbed over 'Cyprus Confidential'".knews.com.cy.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  42. ^Bojan Pancevski; Sara Germano (20 December 2018)."Germany's Der Spiegel Says Reporter Made Up Facts".The Wall Street Journal.Retrieved23 December2018.Stefan Niggemeier, an independent media blogger in Berlin and a former Spiegel journalist, said some of the articles at issue appeared to confirm certain German stereotypes about Trump voters, asking "was this possible because of ideological bias?"
  43. ^Matt Furber; Mitch Smith (27 December 2018)."Minnesota Town Defamed by German Reporter Is Ready to Forgive".The New York Times.Retrieved28 December2018.he was trying to look for a cliché of a Trump-voting town and he simply didn't find it, "said Christoph Scheuermann, the Der Spiegel correspondent who visited Fergus Falls last week to apologize
  44. ^"If the narrative is correct, facts are secondary".Question Authority – Think For Yourself.Mathias Broeckers. 22 December 2018.Retrieved28 December2018.Claas Relotius, because the imaginative author has just delivered what his superiors demanded and fit into their spin
  45. ^James Kirchick (3 January 2019)."Germany's Leading Magazine Published Falsehoods About American Life".The Atlantic.Retrieved6 January2019.Though it is respected abroad as an authoritative news source, Der Spiegel has long peddled crude and sensational anti-Americanism, usually grounded in its brand of knee-jerk German pacifism
  46. ^""The Atlantic" beklagt zerstörerische Wirkung der Spiegel-Propaganda gegen USA ".Focus(in German). 6 January 2019.Retrieved6 January2019.Der Spiegel wird zwar international als zuverlässige Nachrichtenquelle geachtet, doch er verbreitet seit langem schon einen kruden und sensationslüsternen Antiamerikanismus
  47. ^"NZZ: Η" Μαρία του Εβρου "αποδείχθηκε" η μεγαλύτερη υπόθεση fake news "για το Spiegel".Kathimerini(in Greek). 20 January 2023.
  48. ^"German weekly retracts story on death of stranded Syrian child at Evros border".Kathimerini.31 December 2022.
  49. ^Scherrer, Lucien; Rogers, Forrest (20 January 2023)."Die Flucht der Baidaa S.: Wie der" Spiegel "sein Publikum täuscht".Neue Zürcher Zeitung(in German).Retrieved23 January2023.
  50. ^"East Germany Shuts Office Of West German Magazine In Retaliation for Articles".The New York Times.East Berlin. 11 January 1978.Retrieved18 October2022.
  51. ^"Der Spiegel issue on Islam banned in Egypt".France24.2 April 2008.Retrieved29 September2013.
  52. ^"Leading German Magazine Banned in Egypt".The Arab Press Network. 3 April 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2014.Retrieved9 September2014.
  53. ^"HafenCity Headquarters: SPIEGEL Moves to a New Home"(Archive).Der Spiegel5 October 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  54. ^Eric Pfanner (29 April 2013)."New Der Spiegel Editor will Also Oversee Web Business".The New York Times.Serraval.Retrieved6 October2013.
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