A German politician resigns because he threatened a journalist

In the Reporters Without Borders world rankings for press freedom, Germany ranks 18th for 2022. This means that there are probably greater restrictions on the work of journalists than, for example, the Nordic countries, which are in the top ranking positions. But even so, open threats against members of the press are considered unthinkable. And when they are extorted, there are consequences.

The consequences are now being met by Stephen Mager, the former general secretary of the Bavarian Christian Socialists (CSU), the party that was Angela Merkel’s most loyal political ally and governing partner in Berlin until September 2021. not even three months in this top position. He was forced to resign last Tuesday “for health reasons” when an unbelievable verbal incident with BUNTE journalist Manfred Otselberger became known. The reason was not insignificant, as the journalist in question violated the “informal tradition” that the German media do not want to cover the personal life of politicians and revealed that 48-year-old Mager has an eight-year-old illegitimate child, for which he refuses to pay diet. Pandemonium followed.

Threats and claims for compensation

The content of the controversy is revealed by the online edition of Focus magazine, which belongs to the Burda group, as well as BUNTE. To the Greek public it may seem inconceivable that such threats are unleashed in the plural, but let us keep this condition for a more faithful rendering of the dialogue. The day before the magazine was published, while Mager had already been informed of the publication, the Bavarian politician called the journalist and reportedly told him the following: “I will make you disappear. I will find you, I will chase you for the rest of your life. “I demand 200,000 euros in compensation, which you must pay today. I will sue Burda, I will destroy him.”

Focus claims that “there were many witnesses” on the part of the journalist, when Stefan Mager unleashed his threats. The scandal has broken out. A short time later, the German News Agency (DPA) called on the Bavarian politician to take a stand and he stated that he “did not know” the accusations leveled at him, but admitted that an “emotionally charged” discussion took place, in which the journalist called him “crazy”. “, but also threatened him, saying that” I have cleared many before you “. Fortunately for the journalist, the media in which he works supported him from the beginning and without leaving room for intervention in the (politically all-powerful in Bavaria) party of the Christian Socialists. In fact, the publishing house Burda, in an announcement, clarifies that “in the most categorical way it supports its author”, while at the same time it accuses Stefan Mager of “exceeding moral, legal and constitutional limits”. In particular, intimidation and threats of reparations by an elected member of parliament and a Democratic party “constitute an unheard of violation of the rules of the political game and political culture in our country,” the statement concludes.

Is the family situation of a politician a personal matter?

The question remains, however, whether politicians have the right to protect their privacy from prying eyes. In an earlier book, The Triumph of Recklessness, Jens Bergmann, Professor of Public Communication at the University of Hamburg, discusses the difficult balance between public image and the privacy of politicians. He argues that “when a public figure exposes his private life, he must accept that the media will not only be involved in the game, but can also play in an unpleasant way.” He even cites as an example the former President of Germany Christian Wulff and his wife, who were very open to the media and attracted the attention of the public. “When you keep your privacy away from the inside, then you too can claim respect for privacy,” Bergman said.

For the former (now) CSU secretary it is certain that he did not want to expose his privacy to the media. However, journalist Manfred Otselberger returns to the case, speaking on the BUNTE website, to claim that Stephen Mager’s personal “irregularities” have a real political dimension: “He is a top politician of a Christian party. He can not be trusted. he has contact with his son and says he is childless, it is a moral collapse “. But the BUNTE journalist says something else interesting: that the “information” about Stephen Mager’s personal life came from “CSU circles”. It would not be the first time that the Bavarian Christian Socialists have resorted to such blows below the belt in order to expose internal party opponents.

Giannis Papadimitriou (DPA, Focus, Bunte)

Source: Deutsche Welle