How the German media covered the Iraq war

BY sarah john| IN Media Practice | 14/04/2003

Sarah John

Bad Rothenfelde, Germany

Nobel prize laureate Guenter Grass sat back in his study in his country-house, where he withdraws for "creative-peace", and spoke passionately about the current international crisis caused by the unjust, inhuman invasion of Iraq. He was being interviewed by a major German TV channel early in April. On the same day, the BBC World TV also aired an interview with him, conducted in English, where he expressed his strong anti-war views without any hesitation. George Bush, he said, should go back to his oil business, because he is a dangerous threat to world-peace in his present position.

Even the traditionally conservative but widely-read newspapers in Germany (like Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung or Die Tagespiegel)  seemed to change their normally critical view of the Social Democrat Chancellor, Gerhard Shroeder, as soon as they realized that the U.S. really was bent on going to war, practically sidelining the U.N. This was proof that the Germans abhorred the idea of war, especially one whose cause or purpose was so hazy. Their reporting of the weapons inspection was thorough, and positive. They reported the troop-movements with great apprehension, and warned of  dire consequences of unsettling the volatile region of west Asia.

 They vied with each other in drawing on the deeper knowledge of academicians and West-Asia experts, publishing articles and educating the reading public on the historical and political background to the situation in Iraq. The word "Dictator" stuck, and brought out varying reactions from the different generations of the population, associating it with their own Nazi-dictator, whose shadows some of them at least are still fighting to get away from in this country. A popular Minister of Justice of the Shroeder government had to resign after a spontaneous critical comment made by her brought about official protest from the U.S.government, who  regarded the remark as comparing Bush with Hitler.

 German television channels reported on the war 24 hours during the first week. A couple of private media companies like SAT1 and N24, with alliances with US Media, had one or two journalists "embedded" with US troops, but the main channels  had placed their experienced journalists in strategically important places, who have done  comparatively unbiased reporting, always mentioning the source of their information, and warning of "war-propaganda".

 The 53-year old ARD Group, representing an association of 11 regional, independent TV and Radio channels, and the 40-year-old ZDF conducted street-interviews every day during the first days of the war, in different parts of the country, allowing people to express their views directly to other viewers. These two are also the channels with the highest percentage of viewers in the country. (ARD - nearly 30%)

They had panel discussions with the best-known German and non-German writers, politicians, historians, psychologists,  sociologists and journalists with  experience in the west-Asian region  expressing their varying views, and taking calls from the public during the live-discussions, thus allowing  for viewers´ participation. Not only ex-patriot Kurds with strong anti-Saddam sentiments, but also other Arabs and Muslims with other views took part in panel discussions. Many times we watched clever T.V. moderators struggling and succeeding in allowing two bitterly opposing sides to have their bash at each other across the table. Many senior journalists and historians blamed the "ignorance" and naivety of the Bush administration for their arrogance, which  practically lost them  sympathetic audiences anywhere in the world!

The ex-director of the U.N.´s oil-for-food programme, Hans von Sponik, who had resigned in protest against the interference which made it impossible for him to do his job, took a German television-team with him on a two-weeks´ tour of Iraq. They wanted to investigate and see for themselves whether some specific accusations made against the Iraqis could be true. The Iraqis cooperated, and they were able to document all that they could see. This documentary was viewed in Germany through different major channels.
 
ARD, Germany´s Channel 1, managed to get an interview from Hans Blix, the Chief weapons-inspector of the U.N., after the US and UK armed forces started their invasion of Iraq. He told them that he personally did not believe that Iraq had any weapons of mass-destruction, and he was very much interested to see whether this war would reveal any!

Sponsored by the other major German TV channel ZDF, sociologists and psychologists and teachers sat down with representatives of the young population of Germany, whose massive daily protests against the war have surprised the older generation. The German experience after the trauma of the IInd World War and its lasting effects on the younger generation have made this society sensitive to the need for open discussions with this future generation. Young boys and girls ages ranging from 10 to 18 took part in an active and open question-and-answer session, with participation from other young TV audience across the country.

ZDF´s Ullrich Kelgner answered the young participants´ questions "live" from Baghdad, handling them as best and as sensitively as he could. Both he and his colleague Stephan Kloss (of ARD) have done their reporting independently from Baghdad, not repeating what their British and American colleagues have already said, and remaining sensitive to their own home-audience.

Germany´s popular weeklies like  the STERN and SPIEGEL came out with titles like "The Bloody Path to Baghdad". The public saw with horror, pictures of the ground realities of the war as the U.S. and U.K. armed forces forced their way into Iraq. The public outcry and horror against this war has been unprecedented, politicians and trade-union and church leaders taking part in mass demonstrations. Prayers for peace, candle-vigils and demonstrations had preceded the war, and they have not stopped even though the war has happened.

The war against the Taliban regime and their Al Queda associates in Afghanistan had been generally supported by Germany. This was partly due to the shock following 11th September, 2001, and partly due to the anger at the way Islamic fundamentalists had moved undetected through Germany. However, while Saddam Hussein is seen as a dreaded dictator, there has not been any support in Germany for going to an all out war in order to remove an independent nation´s ruler. For many, it has been a torturous process to be on the opposite side of their old ally, the U.S., but there has been general appreciation for the present government which has stuck to their anti-war stand.

Television has played a huge role in exposing through investigative reports as well as documentaries and interviews the illegality of this war and the commercial interests of the parties involved in this invasion of Iraq. Naming commercial giants like the Carlyle group of Washington D.C. with direct connection to the Bush family and their associates, and Halliburton with close association to Cheyney , their commercial gains from this war have been exposed to the German audience. At the same time, they have not shied away from accusing the huge German weapon industry whose largest client remains the U.S. The  now-famous Abrams Tanks and many other "most-modern" technical equipment now in use in Iraq were developed and produced by German companies!

A war-weary German audience is now slowly moving away from their television sets, resigned to whatever the outcome. One doesn´t come across too many individuals who spend time reading up from various web-sites either. I personally feel that in comparison to Indians, ordinary Germans are by nature not a particularly politically active/sensitive folk. Whereas in India we tend to have hefty discussions on politics at all kinds of gatherings, here people do not dwell on politics, per se.

 In fact, I often feel that they consider the parliamentarians and ministers as employees paid by them to do the job of governing the country efficiently-no more, no less! When they fail to do that, and word of it gets out, then they are shocked. Real crooks do not last in German politics. This is a pragmatic society, and there is little hero-worshipping in politics. This has been evident in the way the German media and press have so far covered the events leading upto and then the actual invasion of Iraq. Without mincing words, German TV reporters have continued to report, even at risk to themselves, on the deterioration of the law and order situation and the desperation in cities like Baghdad and Mosul and Kirkuk.

It seems natural that when Saddam Hussein´s advisor, Gen. Amir el Saadi turned himself in to the American forces command, he asked to be accompanied by the German Television team headed by Ulrich Tilgner. He gave them the exclusive-interview, which he wanted to be made public. He was neither a Baath Party member nor a member of the Secret Service, he said, he was a Scientist in charge of Iraq´s defence-program, and he had worked closely and cooperatively with Hans Blix and Mohammed Baradai, maintaining that there was no justification for the invasion of his country.

Contact: alsa.john@t-online.de