SZ journalist becomes government spokesman: Not bought, but always in line – Commentary

Journalists are for sale—this is the impression one gets when looking at the latest developments in the staff of the incoming federal government. Stefan Kornelius, head of the political department of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, will be the new spokesperson for Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz . The political journalist is thus continuing a tradition that has been false for years.

His predecessor, Steffen Hebestreit, had already made a name for himself as a political journalist before becoming Olaf Scholz's government spokesman. His writings also appeared in the Berliner Zeitung. Hebestreit's focus was, among other things, on reporting on the SPD, the very party that later provided the chancellor. Before his career as Chancellor Angela Merkel's longtime government spokesman, Steffen Seibert was the presenter of the "heute" news program on ZDF. After Merkel's chancellorship, Seibert became German ambassador to Israel.

His predecessor, Ulrich Wilhelm, made two career changes: first as a journalist, later as press spokesperson for Angela Merkel , and then as director general of Bavarian Broadcasting. The idea of ​​journalists switching sides as part of the fourth estate is therefore nothing new. It's still not right, however, that they, like Stefan Kornelius, become government spokespersons.

Because it creates the impression that journalists and politicians are only pretending to separate their areas of work and are essentially working together on the same political project. And this impression, whether true or not, doesn't just begin with such questionable personnel decisions. Anyone reading Stefan Kornelius's commentaries for the Süddeutsche Zeitung will recognize the author not as a harsh critic of social conditions, but rather as someone who offers smooth commentary on the political status quo.

That's fine, of course. But the whole thing takes on a bad taste when one expects journalists to demonstrate a certain steadfastness against political authority on certain issues. In a commentary in early 2024, Kornelius described whistleblower Julian Assange as a "threat" who portrayed himself as a political victim. Assange is "no saint, no martyr, and only partially a victim of the justice system" because he himself was the one who repeatedly evaded the rule of law and allowed a myth to flourish that prevented any peaceful reappraisal of his actions, Kornelius stated in his commentary. In doing so, he reproduces the framing of those against whom Assange's activist journalism was directed.

Stefan Kornelius: SZ journalist and member of numerous think tanks

Anyone who wants to criticize personnel decisions like Stefan Kornelius's doesn't need conspiracy-like narratives about journalists who can be bought off for a few euros more a month. In truth, it's much simpler: The attitudes of journalists like Kornelius are already congruent with the status quo. To obtain lucrative positions in politics, they don't have to bow to the zeitgeist, because their opinions reflect it anyway.

By appointing Kornelius, Merz is bringing on board a renowned journalist with deep roots in the political and media milieu. Kornelius attended the Henri-Nannen-Schule from 1986 to 1987, founded Medium magazine for journalists, and later became its editor-in-chief. He worked for Stern magazine and the British broadcaster BBC. Since 2000, Kornelius has been responsible for foreign policy at the Süddeutsche Zeitung; since 2021, he has headed the politics department there.

Kornelius has also made a name for himself as a political lobbyist. He is a member of the Atlantic Bridge, which promotes German-American relations, the German-Russian Forum, and the German Council on Foreign Relations. He also sits on the advisory board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy.

He came under fire for this in 2014 when the ZDF satirical program "Die Anstalt" revealed his connections to the aforementioned think tanks. In an interview with the public media magazine "Zapp," Kornelius subsequently admitted a lack of transparency in disclosing his secondary activities, but fundamentally defended his connections to the lobby groups.

Here, too, things are quite simple: Kornelius's role as a journalist is not that of an uncomfortable questioner, but rather that of a gentle reporter whose private opinion is apparently close to the stance of these think tanks. It remains wrong, however. "I wouldn't advise politicians," Kornelius said at the time. But becoming a mouthpiece for politics as a journalist – he has no problem with that.