The NDR in Kiel draws personnel consequences at management level

The muddled situation at the NDR in Kiel, which is fraught with allegations, now has personnel consequences – two managers are losing their posts, but the head of the house is allowed to stay. The NDR announced on Wednesday.

Accordingly, Norbert Lorentzen (editor-in-chief) and Julia Stein (head of politics and research) will have to leave the house. Both should, as the broadcaster said, "get new jobs outside of the Schleswig-Holstein State Broadcasting House." The two journalists had asked in advance of a commissioned audit to be released from their previous duties at the Schleswig-Holstein State Broadcasting House until it was completed to become. NDR State Broadcasting Director Volker Thormählen will remain. NDR Director General Joachim Knuth asked him to resume his work after the end of the unpaid leave he had submitted himself and to outline "how he wants to get the identified problems in some areas of the state broadcasting house under control."

This now also includes the personal details mentioned. The internal review by a two-man commission, which was already reported on Tuesday, had identified an editorial climate characterized by a lack of communication and a lack of trust as a major problem, especially in the television sector. "I would like to thank Norbert Lorentzen and Julia Stein for their excellent journalistic work. Because of the lost trust, I informed both of them this morning that I will no longer be working with them," Thormälen said.

However, the audit presented did not find any political influence and no unjustified interventions in the journalistic processes or research. The "serious allegations of a journalistic nature, in particular against Norbert Lorentzen and Julia Stein" were not to be upheld, the NDR then announced on Wednesday, but added: "Nevertheless, it turned out that there are obviously major problems in the television area of ​​​​the state broadcaster in the cooperation exist, which also had an impact on journalistic work.”

Thormählen also acknowledged his own mistakes and said: "Today I know - in parts there was a culture that is not acceptable, that is not compatible with my principles and against which I should have taken action earlier. Our professions are demanding, they bring enough pressure with them anyway - time pressure in the current situation, but above all quality pressure. There shouldn’t be any more pressure or even fear.” The structural and cultural new start in the Landesfunkhaus Schleswig-Holstein will begin immediately, and the first rounds of talks should start internally as early as Thursday. An external investigation of the events by a testing and consulting company commissioned by the NDR Landesrundfunkrat Schleswig-Holstein is still open.