Media News - Friday, July 04, 2008

Disillusioned Berliner Zeitung staff advertise for new proprietor

Staff at the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in Germany are so unhappy with their owner, David Montgomery, that they took out an advert in a rival German newspaper advertising for a new proprietor. The protest followed an announcement by Montgomery's Mecom group last week that almost a quarter of the 130-strong editorial department at Berliner Zeitung would be axed. 'Highly motivated daily newspaper staff, still not made redundant, looking for new challenges' ran the advert in the media section of the Taz on Wednesday. The advert, titled 'Publisher Wanted', said the journalists were seeking a 'serious buyer who doesn't just produce a paper to make money'; someone who understood that papers are primarily for readers and not for shareholders. In return, the journalists promised, among other things, 'committed, rigorous and critical reporting', eminent writers and a sophisticated readership. 'If you can envisage a future together with us under the leadership of a competent, independent editor, then BUY US!' finished the advert, before telling interested parties to contact the editorial department - but not the editor-in-chief. The Berliner Zeitung's editor-in-chef, Josef Depenbrock, has been hugely unpopular at the paper ever since Montgomery appointed him to the additional role of managing editor. On Wednesday, the paper's editorial department failed in an attempt to bring proceedings against Mecom and Josef Depenbrock, saying that his dual role goes against the paper's statutes. A judge threw out the claim in a Berlin court, saying Depenbrock's position was perfectly legal and tenable. (The Guardian)

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