On January 4, 1947, the "Spiegel" was published for the first time, first in Hanover and later in Hamburg. Since then, the news magazine has uncovered a number of scandals - and also stumbled across a few affairs itself.
by Irene Altenmüller
End of 1946:A name is needed for the new news magazine. The then 24-year-old journalist Rudolf Augstein was supposed to come up with a title overnight. This is the British military government's condition for issuing a license to the new paper. Augstein then asks his father which sounds better:"The Echo" or "The Mirror"? Augstein's father is for "Der Spiegel" - that's the end of it.
"Der Spiegel" replaces "DieseWoche"
A few days later, on Saturday, January 4, 1947, the first issue of the new magazine was published in Hanover. The predecessor "This Week" had become annoying to the British after just five issues because of its critical attitude towards the occupying forces. That's why they hand over responsibility for the newspaper to Augstein's young team of journalists.
One mark per "Spiegel" issue
The first issue of "Spiegel" costs one mark, it is 22 pages long and has a circulation of 15,000 copies. On the cover with the characteristic bright red border, Austria's envoy Dr. Little Guard pictured auditioning at the White House in Washington. The magazine also contains articles on abortion paragraph 218, the planned construction of a tunnel under Mont Blanc, the fate of German prisoners of war abroad and the situation on the black market.
"Der Spiegel" has been a success from the very first issue, and the editions are always sold out. The magazine became known nationwide in 1950 when it reported that Bonn was only chosen as the provisional capital of the Federal Republic because members of parliament were bribed. The Bundestag then sets up a committee of inquiry. However, the so-called mirror committee remains unsuccessful.
"Spiegel" becomes Augstein's "assault gun of democracy"
In 1952 the magazine moved from Hanover to Hamburg. It also maintains its critical course on the Elbe. Augstein himself describes it - not entirely without irony - as "democracy's assault gun". Over the years, the "Spiegel" uncovers numerous scandals, reports on the machinations of politicians, remains uncomfortable. In 1962, the magazine itself was at the center of an affair:the editorial offices were searched and closed because of a critical cover story on the weakening defense strategy of the Federal Republic, and the editors-in-chief and publisher Rudolf Augstein were arrested.
The charge is treason. But the "Spiegel" affair did not mean the temporary end for the magazine, but for the then Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss (CSU), who had arranged for the arrests and has to resign. The "Spiegel", on the other hand, can significantly increase its circulation. It climbed over 500,000 for the first time at the end of 1962.
1969:A high-rise building for "Spiegel"
Until 2011, the "Spiegel" resided in the high-rise building.In 1969 the publishing house moved again, this time to a high-rise on Brandstwiete. The psychedelic interior design of the canteen is legendary to this day. It was later placed under monument protection and in 2011, when the "Spiegel" group moved into a new building in the HafenCity, it was placed in the Hamburg Museum of Art and Trade as a design work of art.
"Spiegel" uncovers a number of scandals and affairs
In the 1980s, the magazine uncovered a number of scandals, including the Flick party donation scandal in the early 1980s, the "Neue Heimat" scandal in 1983 and the Barschel scandal surrounding the then Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister in 1987. Also the paid circulation increased continuously in the 1980s. From 1990 onwards it regularly exceeded the million mark, and in the first three months of 1991 it even averaged 1.2 million - the Iraq war pushed the circulation up.
In 1988 the "Spiegel" got a television offshoot with the Spiegel TV-Magazin at the private broadcaster RTL. In 1994 it was one of the first news magazines to go online:With "Spiegel-Online" the magazine got its own website.
Circulation crisis and internal friction
Since 2011, all "Spiegel" editorial offices have been under one roof in a new building in Hamburg's HafenCity.But the crisis in the print media also affects the well-known news magazine:From 2008 onwards, the sales figures will drop. Although the "Spiegel" remains the most cited medium in Germany, the number of copies sold has not reached the million mark since 2010. In addition, there are always arguments between senior editors about the strategic direction, especially the online presence.
New print issues and paid online offers
What follows, in order to counter the changes in the media industry, is a rigorous austerity course - and the reach for further sources of income in the form of new online offers, some of which are subject to payment, and also new print products, each of which is tailored to a narrow target group.
Relotius affair shakes entire industry
In December 2018, a number of reports by the "Spiegel" journalist Claas Relotius were exposed as fakes. The award-winning reporter invented parts of his reports and interviews, and partly copied them. The Relotius affair turns into an earthquake - not only for "Spiegel":The credibility and seriousness of the entire industry are severely affected by the fraud, and trust in journalism is deeply disturbed. The "Spiegel" itself - according to its own statutes always committed to high journalistic quality standards - went on the offensive and published the story on its own behalf under the title "Sagen, was ist".
In addition, an internal working group is working on the circumstances and developing extensive new standards for research and quality control in-house. But a number of other editorial offices are also reacting to the crisis of trust, reviewing their security measures, training employees in fact checks and developing similar formats in order to win back the trust of readers.
"Constructive debate is under threat"
"We urgently need to think about what the media and public should look like in the future," says Spiegel editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann.At least from the publishing side, the crisis seems to be over. "75 years after it was founded, 'Spiegel' is in an excellent position, both in terms of journalism and business," says managing director Thomas Hass. According to company information, the total turnover of the "Spiegel" group in 2021 will be more than 20 million euros higher than in the previous year - and the trend is rising.
However, the role and criteria of reliable quality journalism will continue to have to stand up to critical scrutiny - not only at "Spiegel". "We are experiencing historic times," says editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann. "Around the world, authoritarian forms of rule are increasingly gaining adherents, climate change is threatening our livelihoods, the corona virus has dramatically changed our world. [...] But 'saying what is' is also subject to change:we see how public discourse is increasingly slipping away. [...] We urgently need to think about what the media and the public should look like in the future." "Spiegel" used its anniversary issue in January to get in touch with its readers about this.