Politicians from a trade union lambast the firing of Ruhs, a presenter at NDR. - Politicians from the Union Union express dissatisfaction over the dismissal of Ruhs from NDR broadcasting
In a move that has sparked criticism, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) has decided to remove Julia Ruhs from the moderation team of its controversial talk show 'Clear.' The show, which airs irregularly in cooperation with Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), aims to address controversial issues in society and present different perspectives on them.
The decision has been met with disapproval from various high-profile figures, including Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther and Bavaria's head of government Markus Söder. Both have expressed their dissatisfaction with the NDR's decision, calling it an 'extremely bad signal' and 'not a good signal for freedom of opinion, diversity, and tolerance in public broadcasting.'
Julia Ruhs, who has been a part of the 'Clear' moderation team, has received support from people who had lost trust in public broadcasting and its diversity of opinion due to her work on the show. The pilot episode on migration, which caused a stir, saw Ruhs reporting on violence related to immigration.
The NDR, which considers diversity of perspectives important in its programming, developed the format 'Clear' with BR. However, the show has faced criticism in the past, with individual contents being commented on by public figures such as Jan Böhmermann and Anja Reschke.
In response to the NDR's decision, Carsten Linnemann, CDU General Secretary, has demanded financial consequences for public broadcasting. He suggested freezing fees until further notice to create pressure for reforms, stating that the decision is a new low point in terms of debate culture in Germany.
Despite being removed from the NDR's 'Clear,' Julia Ruhs will remain part of the moderation team for the episodes produced by BR. The future broadcasts of the NDR magazine 'Klar' will be moderated by former 'Bild' editor-in-chief Tanit Koch, who will also contribute editorially to the format. Jens Spahn has also criticized the NDR's decision as 'very problematic.'
The NDR and BR plan to continue and expand 'Clear' with multiple moderators and episodes next year. It remains to be seen how the show will evolve with the changes in its moderation team.
In light of the controversy, the future presenters for NDR's broadcasts of 'Clear' are yet to be decided. The decision by NDR to remove Julia Ruhs from the show has certainly stirred up a storm in the world of public broadcasting, with many questioning the role of diversity of opinion in shaping the discourse on controversial issues.
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