Gutmann, Roth pay tribute to RIAS at Media Prize ceremony
June 3, 2022
Gutmann, Roth pay tribute to RIAS at Media Prize ceremony
American Ambassador Amy Gutmann and German Culture Minister Claudia Roth paid tribute to the history of the RIAS (Radio in American Sector) radio and tv broadcast network based in West Berlin as a beacon of democracy and the “voice of the free world” that millions of Germans in Communist East Germany and West Berlin listened to during the Cold War-era — in speeches at a gala RIAS Media Commission awards ceremony moderated by Petra Gute in Berlin on Thursday evening in front of an audience of 200.
The two honorary chairwomen of the German-American RIAS Berlin Commission, which was founded 30 years ago to keep alive the spirit of the famous radio and TV station, both drew parallels between the war in Ukraine and its suppression of free speech and a free press to the decades-long work of RIAS in helping to overcome the Cold War divisions of Europe from the late 1940s through the end of the era with the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 — which precipitated the reunification of Germany less than a year later and the winding down of RIAS in 1993.
“As history shows, even in the most closed-down societies, ultimately one of the most difficult things for a tyrant to suppress is freedom of speech and the truth — it will get out,” Gutmann said in her address to the gathering of journalists, award-winners, board members and other dignitaries at the in the Französicher Dom in central Berlin.
“That the truth will get out is documented by the story of RIAS. Throughout the Cold War, RIAS was a thorn in the side of the government of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and of the Soviet Union. Why? Because it was a source of honest news. It was also a source of great jazz, as you heard today, and great popular music. And some people tuned in for the music but they also heard the honest news. Millions of listeners in the east and west tuned in, yes for jazz and rock ‘n roll and entertainment and that also is important, but also for the truth. There was a crack in the wall. The journalists at RIAS helped to make history. They were always there, reporting live for all to hear. Let me tell you that is not only history, but that certainly is part of my personal history. Were it not for RIAS, were it not for the cracks in the wall, I would not be here to be standing here today.
Gutmann, whose father fled from his German hometown of Feuchtwangen at the the start of the Nazi-era as a 17-year-old 85 years ago, also paid tribute to the 17 RIAS Berlin Commission prize winners, who were selected by an independent German-American jury from competitions in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The gala ceremony had been postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gutmann also said she was pleased to tell her German counterpart as honorary chairwoman of RIAS Berlin Commission, Claudia Roth, that the United States is doing all it can to restore and improve relations with Germany. She said it was important for the two countries to remain close allies. Gutmann also returned to the theme of journalism, saying a free press and free speech were vital for democracy. She called journalists “champions of democracy” who should never lose sight that responsible journalism help to build civilian and free societies.
“It is a great honor for me to be here…and so it is a great honor to join Claudia and be part of this wonderful profession, reporting on issues that matter for people on both sides of the Atlantic, and to say to you all, as President Biden has said: America is back. We are back with our German allies. And we are really honored and proud and I am personally honored ad proud to be here so thank you for that.”
