Crisis of confidence at the NDR in Kiel: Landesfunkhauschef relocated Julia Stein and Norbert Lorentzen

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Former head of politics at NDR in Kiel: Julia Stein has to change location

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Christian Charisius / picture alliance / dpa

After allegations at the NDR in Kiel, there are personnel consequences for two editorial managers.

State radio station director Volker Thormählen said on Wednesday: Because of a loss of trust, he informed editor-in-chief Norbert Lorentzen and political director Julia Stein that “I will no longer work with them.

With the support of the management, I will ensure that both are given new tasks outside the Schleswig-Holstein state broadcasting center.« Lorentzen and Stein had already asked some time ago to be released from their tasks until further notice in the midst of the unsolved allegations.

According to NDR information, director Joachim Knuth had also asked Thormählen to resume his work as director after the end of the unpaid leave and to outline how he wanted to get the problems in some areas of the state broadcasting house under control.

»In parts a culture that is not acceptable«

On Tuesday, an internal test report by two NDR journalists was published on the allegations in the Schleswig-Holstein state radio station.

Although there is no evidence for the allegation of a "political filter" in reporting, a bad working atmosphere was attested at the same time.

Media reports a few weeks ago raised the question of whether there could have been a kind of filter with a political bias by the superiors in the political reporting.

For example, it was about an interview that an NDR journalist wanted to conduct, but his superiors refused.

Funkhaus director Thormählen said in the NDR message: "Today I know - there was a culture in parts that is not acceptable, that is incompatible with my principles and against which I should have taken action earlier." The broadcaster announced a cultural one Fresh start in Kiel, on Thursday there should be internal first rounds of talks.

The external review of the allegations in Kiel initiated by the State Broadcasting Council control body is ongoing.

Results are not yet available.

The chairwoman of the state broadcasting council of Schleswig-Holstein, Laura Pooth, announced on Tuesday about the internal processing report that it was an important step that the first results were available.

"However, the committee notes with concern that the working atmosphere in parts of the broadcasting center is severely disturbed."

feb/dpa