Altercation regarding deleted remark concerning the Schlesinger case: confidential chatter for RBB administration's deliberation
Last year, the RBB, under pressure from its finance chief Claus Kerkhoff, deleted a critical opinion piece by one of its own journalists about him. This was in connection with his controversial role in the Schlesinger affair. The journalist faced internal criticism from the management, and the station even signed a cease-and-desist declaration, but the journalist refused. The case went to court, and Kerkhoff eventually stepped down because the judges deemed the article permissible.
However, the RBB leadership, including director Ulrike Demmer, seemed to want to keep the case under wraps. But the editorial board has now spoken out internally.
The RBB scandal, a series of financial mismanagement, nepotism, and questionable expenses at the publicly funded broadcaster in Berlin and Brandenburg, led to significant management shakeups and public outcry. Claus Kerkhoff, a senior figure at the organization, was particularly under scrutiny during investigations.
Reports have detailed pressure on staff to avoid tough reporting on management, conflicts over editorial independence, and criticism from both inside and outside the organization regarding how RBB journalists and editors handled in-house investigations.
If you are referring to a specific event involving Claus Kerkhoff, his role in the RBB scandal, or a particular journalistic piece, please clarify or check recent German media sources. The core scandal involved management shakeups and journalistic integrity concerns, but updates on specific individuals may require current, regional reporting.
- The editorial board of RBB, in response to the internal silence surrounding the Claus Kerkhoff case, has expressed concerns over the interference in social-media, potentially restricting freedom of expression and entertainment.
- Despite the court ruling in favor of the journalist who published the critical piece about Claus Kerkhoff, there are reports suggesting that senior RBB figures, including Ulrike Demmer, continue to use social-media channels to control and manage the organization's public image, rather than fostering transparency and preserving journalistic integrity.
