Mathias Döpfner, ‘guru-like’ CEO of Axel Springer, wants to expand – but critics say his stated values sometimes don’t line up with what appears in his titles

In Mathias Döpfner’s 2023 book Dealing with Dictators, the chief executive of the German media company Axel Springer SE proposed a fix for western democracy: states that respect the rule of law should stick together and prioritise trading with each other. Better that, he declared, than indulging the illusion that doing business will tame “self-styled strongman leaders”.

So it came as quite the surprise when last month Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, was given a prominent opinion article in Welt am Sonntag, less than four weeks before the riskiest elections of the rightwing populist’s career. “It caused a lot of strong irritation,” said a former editor at the Springer-owned broadsheet.

Long a powerful and polarising force in Germany’s postwar media landscape, Axel Springer is now aiming to become a major player in the transatlantic sphere. In 2021 it added the US-European outlet Politico to its large portfolio of German titles, and is buying the UK’s Daily Telegraph in a £575m all-cash deal.

Mergers and buyouts always end well.

  • einkorn@feddit.org
    0·
    5 days ago

    “It caused a lot of strong irritation,” said a former editor at the Springer-owned broadsheet.

    I guess this editor has been living under a rock for quite a while and might do well reading this article to get up to speed. Same as the people around here still posting Politico articles.

    • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
      0·
      5 days ago

      Politico still does some decent journalism, as do WaPo and NYT. The thing is, you have to have a bullshit detector on hand as a reader, and we stopped teaching media literacy decades ago.

      • einkorn@feddit.org
        0·
        5 days ago

        RT had some decent articles as well in between all that propaganda.

        Why wait till they reach that stage instead of looking for better alternatives?

        • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
          0·
          5 days ago

          Because I was a news editor for decades and can separate good reporting from an overall shitty outlet.

          • einkorn@feddit.org
            0·
            5 days ago

            Well, 99% of humanity wasn’t and as you said media literacy is out of the window.

            So when you post a Politico article you give average Joe the impression that this is a reputable news outlet, when in fact you have to be on your guard because the owner is a slimy bastard.