Der Spiegel

Der Spiegel (German pronunciation: [deːɐ̯ ˈʃpiːɡl̩], lit. 'The Mirror', stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner, a British army officer, and Rudolf Augstein, a former Wehrmacht radio operator who was recognized in 2000 by the International Press Institute as one of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes.

Der Spiegel is known in German-speaking countries mostly for its investigative journalism. It has played a key role in uncovering many political scandals, such as the Spiegel affair in 1962 and the Flick affair in the 1980s. The news website by the same name was launched in 1994 under the name Spiegel Online with an independent editorial staff. Today, the content is created by a shared editorial team, and the website uses the same media brand as the printed magazine.

History

The first issue of Der Spiegel was published in Hanover on January 4, 1947. It started as a magazine called Diese Woche (meaning "This Week") in 1946, before becoming Der Spiegel. Rudolf Augstein was its first editor and led it until he passed away in 2002.

Over the years, Der Spiegel grew quickly. It began with just 15,000 copies and reached nearly one million readers by 1990 after German reunification. The magazine is known for its strong investigative reporting and has also created TV programs and an online version.

In 2018, the magazine faced a problem when one of its reporters was found to have made up stories in many of his articles.

Reception

When Stefan Aust became the leader of the magazine in 1994, readers noticed he was different from the person before him. Some politicians have had strong feelings about the magazine. For example, Franz Josef Strauss, who had strong traditional views, compared the magazine to a powerful force and called journalists unkind names. Another leader, Willy Brandt, also used strong words to show his dislike of the magazine when he was in charge of the country as Chancellor.

Der Spiegel is known for writing long articles about important issues in Germany, such as changes in the country's population, problems with how the government works together, and challenges in schools. The magazine helps shape what people think about these topics and is seen as very influential in Europe, according to The Economist.

Investigative journalism

Der Spiegel is known for uncovering important political secrets and scandals. It began earning this reputation in 1950 when it accused some members of the government of taking bribes to choose Bonn instead of Frankfurt as the capital. In 1962, the magazine reported that Germany’s armed forces were not fully ready. This caused a big problem, called the Spiegel scandal, when police raided their offices and arrested the editors. The case fell apart, leading to big changes in the government.

Der Spiegel has continued to reveal important issues over the years. In 2010, it helped publish secret materials from the United States government. In 2013, it showed that the United States was listening in on the private phone of Germany’s leader. In 2023, it worked with many other news groups around the world to report on money matters connected to a leader of Russia, leading to calls for changes.

Fake news scandals

Der Spiegel has faced some problems for sharing stories that were not true.

In December 2018, a reporter named Claas Relotius admitted that he made up facts, people, and quotes in at least 14 of his stories. The magazine found out after another writer, Juan Moreno, noticed something was wrong. Relotius left the magazine, saying he needed help.

In 2019, a court told Der Spiegel to take down some claims from an article about a group called the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

In 2022, Der Spiegel shared stories and a podcast about a girl named Maria who died at the border between Greece and Turkey. But later, they had to take these stories back because they were not true.

Bans

In January 1978, the office of Der Spiegel in East Berlin was closed by the East German government because the magazine published articles that were not approved by the government. Later, in April 2008, a special edition of the magazine about Islam was not allowed to be sold in Egypt. The leaders of Egypt said the magazine had material that they thought was not respectful toward Islam and Muhammed.

Head office

Der Spiegel started using its current head office in HafenCity in September 2011. The building was designed by Henning Larsen Architects from Denmark. Before that, the magazine’s offices were in a tall building with lots of space for workers.

Editors-in-chief

The magazine Der Spiegel has had many leaders over the years. Some of the people who led it include:

• 1962–1968: Claus Jacobi
• 1968–1973: Günter Gaus
• 1973–1986: Erich Böhme and Johannes K. Engel
• 1986–1989: Erich Böhme and Werner Funk
• 1989–1994: Hans Werner Kilz and Wolfgang Kaden
• 1994–2008: Stefan Aust
• 2008–2011: Mathias Müller von Blumencron and Georg Mascolo
• 2011–2013: Georg Mascolo
• 2013–2014: Wolfgang Büchner
• 13 January 2015 – 15 October 2018: Klaus Brinkbäumer
• 1 January 2019: Steffen Klusmann and Barbara Hans
• 25 May 2023: Dirk Kurbjuweit