Minister Koch tries to manipulate ZDF

Roland Koch, prime minister of the federal state Hessen, who attracted attention last year with a somehow xenophobic election campaign, is now more likely to be noted for his shot to manipulate the public TV station ZDF.

Koch tries to incite the public, other politicians and even the manager of  ZDF against the chief editor Nikolaus Brender. The CDU prime minister of Hessen does not want to extend Brender’s contract after 2010 and many critics regard this manipulation as a danger for democracy in Germany. Since political parties are already too much involved in media, this intervention in public broadcasting would be the last straw. In Koch’s opinion politicians are the fundament of democracy – a free and independent media, which selects its journalists without insider deals,  seems to be not that important for Koch’s idea of democracy.

With a remonstrative letter journalists such as Maybrit Illner, Marietta Slomka and Guido Knopp expressed their displeasure with this manipulative ratfucking. And even more conservative media, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), are campaining against this intervention. These days, while everyone longs for a nanny state, politicians such as Roland Koch may misconceive the public desire for governance.