American RIAS group follows German federal elections in Berlin
A group of 17 American journalists spent a week in Berlin learning more about the 2021 German elections ahead of the vote on September 27. It was the first RIAS Berlin Commission in-person exchange program in nearly two years due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the visit by the RIAS alumni fellows to Berlin, the American broadcast journalists met with journalists, politicians, political experts, musicians and fellow German alumni during their busy six days in Berlin.
Several of the Americans also filed reports on the buzz in Berlin during the German elections back to their home stations while others gathered information and knowledge about the intricacies of the German election system.
Some of the meetings included talks with German election officials who explained how boundaries for constituencies in Germany are redrawn apolitically whenever population shifts require. There is no such thing as gerrymandering in Germany, they learned, and the redrawing of districts is done according to strict standard procedures.
Because the lingering corona pandemic made it impossible to get inside some German newsrooms that remain off-limits for not only visitors, but often many staff members as well, the challenge for the group of Americans (all of whom were vaccinated) was to find locations for meetings with the German journalists, politicians and alumni in neutral venues such as TV station rooftops (such as at RBB TV), restaurants, backrooms in cafes, street corners and even outdoor election rallies.
Thanks to the patience and flexibility of the American alumni and the German guest speakers, it was possible to have a great program that helped the group better understand the issues at stake in the September 26 elections.
Here is an overview of some of the meetings: meeting in beer garden with RBB journalist Petra Gute and Radio Bremen Intendant Yvette Gerner; talk with German election official Ulrike Rockmann about the German election system; talk with Politico senior European correspondent Matt Karnitschnig.
There was also a talk with WeltTV editor in chief Jan-Philipp Burgard and a visit to his state-of-the-art commercial TV station’s studios.
There was also a meeting with Jan Niklas Engels and Knut Dethlefsen at the SPD-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation; meeting with Dr. Jochen Roose and Alexander Beribes from the CDU-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation; walking tour of Kreuzberg neighborhoods with Greens party member Özcan Mutlu.
There was also a meeting with JD Bindenagel, former U.S. ambassador; talk with CDU member of state assembly in Brandenburg Barbara Richstein; meeting with German swing band leader Andrej Hermlin; meeting with Dr. David Biesinger and Jade-Yasmin Tänzler of RBB TV/Radio station; talk with Sawsan Chebli, deputy minister in Berlin government for federal affairs, and leader in SPD party. There was also a talk with far-right AfD member of parliament Beatrix von Storch.
There was also a multi-media light show at the Bundestag; talks at Cafe Einstein with ZDF TV’s breakfast TV news ZDF “MorgenMagazin” Mitri Sirin & Anja Heyde & Michael Wagenbach; also with Julius van de Laar, a leading political consultant in Germany who studied political science in South Carolina and worked on Obama campaigns.
The group also met with Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, host of the Common Ground podcast, author and foreign correspondent for public radio; they had a talk with an AfD member of parliament and watched a campaign rally; enjoyed an alumni dinner and get-together with German alumni; had a meeting and tour of the East Side Gallery with artist Kani Alavi and visited German polling stations on Election Day.
