Right mixture between serious analyses and entertainment
Orangelog.eu in interview with Stephan Sattler, editor-in-chief of the cultural-section of FOCUS-magazine about differences in Europe, the challenges of the new medias and independent European press.
Orangelog.eu: You will participate at the M100 Sanssoucci Colloquium in Potsdam. What are your expectations for that meeting of the hundred most important opinion leaders?
Stephan Sattler: That’s of course an exchange of experiences and opinions with people from other German newspapers and especially even with British colleagues. We will talk about the importance of the culture-reporting and in general about the journalism in the different countries.
Are there big differences?
The culture-edition in French and British newspaper are very different than in German ones. There are for example very different criterias and imaginations regarding the theater. About such themes we can exchange opinions at the meeting in Potsdam. You learn from the experiences of the others and discus from your national perspectives towards a common view.
What problems are you talking about?
You see, the cultural-edition of each newspaper has a problem, because it won’t be respected as a big thing. It has to compete with the political and economical part. There are even attempts to change cultural-edition into lifestyle and entertainment sectors. Its all about the question: How important are the „beautiful arts“ for us.
What changes and challenges are you facing, if you look at the European media?
Newspapers and magazines are in a much more difficult situation, than ten years before. That´s up to the technical revolution, mostly the internet, and also with the difficulties to appeal to young people. We are all in a changing world and we do not know, if newspapers will exist in the future. That's why we have to ask ourselves, if we want to have a situation like in America, where the media landscape is very monotone with only a few big national newspapers next to the regional ones.
Is there a chance to do something else, even if the economic situation is putting pressure on the media? In Europe media is more protected against the reality of the free market but the pressure to fulfill certain quotes will soon arrive here too.
How do you think about the topic „media in times of international crisis“ of the Colloquium?
I think that the media has a big problem to hold the balance between political thoughts and reporting. There are more and more tries to have bigger political influence than objective reporting, that causes more exiting people and with this more sold copies.
Back to our European topic. Do you see a common European framework?
Yes, but more on the political level. On the other side I see national and cultural diversity: Europe is based on different national cultures that do not want to be washed away. That's why people are always highlighting the European project that nobody has to speak about the national cultures under this cover.
Do you think that young people are more open-minded towards Europe?
Young people’s opinion about their country and others almost not differ to other age groups. There is no European youth that is not formed in the national context. But what you can see, is that the interest for other countries raised.
You are leader of the culture-section of the weekly magazine FOCUS – in competition to the Spiegel or stern. What is making the difference to you?
I think that the culture-section is not making the difference in the battle between the three big weekly magazines in Germany. Surely politics and economy plays the bigger role – but the most important issue is the front-page story, because the magazines are mostly sold at the free market.
What are your visions for the future media?
In my opinion the printed media will handle with readers that are used to use the internet. Therefore the editors and journalists of the print media have to react. It will be very difficult to meet the right mixture between serious analyses and entertainment. In this field I see a big competition for the future.
Posted in 2006+07 M100| 08.09.06
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