The Main-Post editorial team won the “Medienspiegel” journalism prize for transparency in reporting the knife attack that took place at the Barbarossaplatz in Würzburg. On the evening of June 25, 2021, Abdirahman J., who was probably 31 at the time, killed three women in the city center with a kitchen knife. Other people, including an 11-year-old girl, were seriously injured.
Even in such crisis situations, the “just before fasting” principle applies to journalists, says Thomas Hauser, editor of the Badische Zeitung, in his laudatory speech. The drafting of the Main-Post was guided by this guideline on the day of the crime and beyond. “The Main-Post served the interests of the readers and kept the appropriate tone,” said Hauser.
This alone does not justify the price of the “multimedia mirror”. But because the editors “explained their work in a self-critical and patient way in so many different ways” in a commentary, many explanatory pieces and a podcast, the jury honored the Main-Post.
Reflection on one’s work, even in particular situations
Editor-in-chief Ivo Knahn received the prize for the editorial board of the Main-Post. “The day of the crime and the week that followed was a busy time for all of us,” he said in retrospect on Friday. “Even or especially in times like this, it is important to reflect on your work”. The various channels of the Main-Post proved useful in reaching readers in different ways.
For example, in one episode of a podcast, Knahn explained the basic questions that editors asked themselves after the knife attack: When do we publish the information? What images do we show? How do we protect the victims? What ethical questions arise in reporting?
The “Medienspiegel” media ethics journalism award was established in 2016 by the Association for the Promotion of Journalistic Self-Regulation and from 2021 has been jointly awarded by the Daily Newspaper Initiative and the Association of Media Ombudsmen. According to the initiators, the award is intended to promote self-criticism and a willingness to be transparent in the media.
The Main-Post won the award for the second time
Prizes are awarded for publications and projects that exemplify the special public task of the media and criticize its deviations. The Main-Post shares the award with the Braunschweiger Zeitung. In a podcast, Lukas Dörfler and Tanja Reeve offer readers information about the daily life of the Lower Saxony newspaper.
The Main-Post won the award for the second time. In 2018, then-editor-in-chief Michael Reinhard received the award for “Social networks are not a good source” comment, in which he apologized for posting conjectures.
