The Deutsche Welle has awarded her this year’s Freedom of Speech Award at the White House Correspondents’ Association. That would have been recently unthinkable.
Jeff Mason (left) receives the award from state Minister for Culture Monika Grütters, and DW Director General Limbourg
The Freedom of Speech Award at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA)? Not the journalists who work in dictatorships under danger for life and limb, but in the United States – one of the germ-cells of the democracy? This decision of the German wave was also found among the speakers at the award ceremony on a certain amount of perplexity.
The Chairman of the Federal press conference, Gregor Mayntz started his laudatory speech with the question: “What am I doing here?” To say: “to stand Here, must be a mistake, a big misunderstanding.” A laudatory speech for the laureates of the past two years, was perfectly okay – for the imprisoned Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi and in the German exile living editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Sedat Ergin. “But a Freedom of Speech-speech for colleagues from the Land of the free, it is hard to believe.”
Also the state Minister for Culture Monika Grütters went on to this unusual circumstance: “he Who loves the Film and the theatre, appreciates exceptional performances, bizarre scenes and remarkable performances. Who believed, however, that all the there was only on the movie screen or in the spotlight of a stage, but not in the offices of a time-honored democracy, has sadly become a Better teacher.”
The shock sits deep
That the award of the prize to the WHCA has its justification, however, there was no doubt. Because of the shock about the entry of Donald trump into the White house, his actions against the media, as it comes not only in many of his Tweets to the expression, sitting everywhere deep.
“We see this award as recognition for the Free press in the world and in the United States and as an encouragement and a sign of solidarity for colleagues who have the exciting task to report on the U.S. President and his policies,” said DW Director General Peter Limbourg and stressed: “We see ourselves as know-it-alls.” But Trump behaving “like a sore king, and declared to the media that do not suit him, to enemies of the people”. In the long term, undermine the confidence in the free journalism – and the most dangerous for the democracy.
Home and stage of quality journalism
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According to media took this Ball and said: “all The more we should appreciate what makes good journalism. And that is why I am glad and grateful that the Deutsche Welle is also a stage that offers the quality of journalism is not only a home, but with the Global Media Forum and the award ceremony of the Freedom of Speech Award.”
The award to the correspondents, the reports about the White house, was a highly deserved recognition for journalists, the journalistic Ethos, even under difficult conditions high, and neither be intimidated nor corrupted. Because the commitment to freedom of the press is losing credibility, if Western democracies were not ready for some of these values to stand up. Therefore, the German Federal government to use all diplomatic levels for the release of their colleagues Deniz Yüzel and other imprisoned journalists.
Also if in the USA there is currently no Journalist has to fear to share because of critical reporting on the fate of Yücels, Laudator Mayntz made it clear: “There are some important people in the free world, should be ashamed of themselves, the Association of correspondents deserves to be in the White house this award!”
Laudator Gregor Mayntz, President of the Federal press conference
“We must remain vigilant”
The President of the Association, Jeff Mason, accepted the award. In his acceptance speech, he said, the Freedom of Speech Award was an award that was “not a target or expected”. Mason since July of 2016, at the head of the journalists Association and reported that Trump in the election campaign, “had openly shown his disdain for the press”.
The White House Correspondents’ Association have, however, tried to have a constructive relationship with the new government. Mason had learned in the past few months, especially of: “We can keep the freedom of the press and the laws that guarantee you never to take for granted. We must remain vigilant against any attempt to restrict it.”