Georg Mascolo (Photo: Andreas Lamm)
Together with students from the University of Leipzig, Georg Mascolo, editor in chief of the German news magazine Spiegel, discussed about core competencies of journalists, the competition with the Internet and the predictions for the quality of journalism.
To editor in chief Georg Mascolo it is clear that quality journalism has to stand a test: "The development of the Internet represents a challenge but also an opportunity."
The so-called media crisis is particularly an advertisement crisis to him. However, it would not become easier for journalists. In future, it won’t be enough to simply rewrite texts from news agencies. "Journalists will have to get up earlier and work harder. Then journalism will still be a dream job in the future and the quality journalism will survive", said Mascolo who followed an invitation of the Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig on 13 January.
You can only earn money if the quality of your journalistic work is beyond doubt.
The form in which journalistic content is communicated is not decisive to the editor in chief of Spiegel magazine. According to Mascolo, it will soon become natural that German magazines and newspapers such as Spiegel, Zeit or FAZ will no longer be delivered by the postman but by the Internet provider. But journalistic quality and content are still crucial: "You can only earn money if the quality of your journalistic work is beyond doubt."
'Spiegel' magazine is part of the inventory of Germany and to me it is simply the magazine with the kind of journalism that interests me.
Since two years, Georg Mascolo and Mathias Müller von Blumencron are the editors in chief of the most important German news magazine. The former "tracker dog" and investigative journalist Mascolo was to bring a fresh wind into the magazine and to put a tread on the investigative research of Spiegel. However, he also admitted mistakes such as the so-called "Toyota affair" when he placed an advertisement instead of an editorial into the magazine. He also rejected the accusation of an increasing tabloidization of the news magazine: 'Spiegel' magazine is part of the inventory of Germany and to me it is simply the magazine with the kind of journalism that interests me.
Our condition is not so bad, so: Operation confidence.
Therefore, Georg Mascolo optimistically thinks about the future of Spiegel - despite a falling in ads and the competition from the Internet. Press, radio and other media have often been declared dead. But the traditional media won’t be replaced by the Internet: "Our condition is not so bad, so: Operation confidence."
Text: Christian Dittmar, Carolin Goetz, Maya Marckwordt