Der Spiegel bolsters investigative team with two security reporting experts
Der Spiegel is expanding its Investigations and Domestic Security team with two new appointments. The move strengthens a department now made up of 13 journalists. Both hires bring extensive experience in security and extremism reporting. Astrid Geisler joins from Die Zeit, where she served as deputy head of Investigative Reporting and Data. Before that, she spent eleven years at taz, covering domestic security and far-right extremism. At Der Spiegel, she will now lead the Domestic Security unit.
Ulrich Kraetzer arrives from *Correctiv*, where he most recently worked as an editor for daily news. His expertise lies in extremism, particularly Islamism, and he published the book *Salafists: A Threat to Germany?* in 2012. Both will work under Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt, the investigative coordinator and co-head of the Germany desk. Wiedmann-Schmidt himself is an award-winning journalist, having received the Henri Nannen Prize and twice the German Reporter Prize. The expanded team will focus on deepening the publication’s coverage of security threats and investigative reporting.
The additions of Geisler and Kraetzer bring specialised knowledge to Der Spiegel’s investigative work. Their backgrounds in extremism and domestic security will support the team’s growing focus on these areas. The department now stands at 13 journalists under Wiedmann-Schmidt’s leadership.
