JR’s Reception Reports: Deutsche Welle Reshuffles

Reception Report: Deutsche Welle, March 2011

A Chinese journalist who had worked freelance for the Voice of Germany (Deutsche Welle) for more than twenty years reportedly lost her contract with the foreign broadcasting station at the end of last year. She believes that her contract hadn’t been renewed for political reasons or motivations, and therefore sued the Voice for about 150,000 Euros. The Voice cited an organizational reshuffle as the reason for the end of their contract, reports the Generalanzeiger.

The case was heard by the Labor Court (Arbeitsgericht) in Bonn, and turned down on March 19 this year. On the sidelines of the hearing, the journalist’s attorney reportedly drew a link with older disputes of 2008, when complaints by Chinese dissidents  had led to an examination and acquittal of the station’s Chinese-language department.

In 2008, all staff issues were apparently settled without the involvement of a court.

A china.com commenting thread contains what is said to be an open letter by – apparently laid off – editorial Chinese-service journalists to the German federal parliament (the Bundestag), dated March this year. The letter has apparently not yet been published online as a newsarticle or as a post.

If you don’t speak/read German, but want to know more about the – alleged – 2008 background to the more recent complaint or complaints, JR’s Deutsche-Welle-Chinese-related posts are an absolute must. Help yourselves.

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Related
Just another German Review of the Chinese Press, January 25, 2011
Deutsche Welle Mission Statement (undated)

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Tags: accountability, China, Communist Party of China, Deutsche Welle, Europe, Germany, government, history, ideology, image, industrial relations, international, journalism, lobbyism, media, negotiations, petitions, rule of law