Corruption affair in Austria
Two influential editors-in-chief are retiring
11/07/2022 5:47 p.m
The emergence of chats puts two exposed journalists in Austria under pressure. In the case of “Die Presse” publisher Nowak, they suggest that he sought close contact with a confidant of Sebastian Kurz when planning his own career. He and an ORF editor-in-chief are withdrawing for the time being.
As a result of the corruption investigations in Austria following the Ibiza affair, two influential editors-in-chief have resigned for the time being. “Die Presse” publisher and editor-in-chief Rainer Nowak will temporarily suspend his functions during an internal review of the allegations, the media group said. The public broadcaster ORF announced, however, that ORF-TV-News editor-in-chief Mathias Schrom is going on vacation immediately during an internal investigation. The Ethics Council had been asked to examine this case.
The Ibiza scandal led to the fall of the Austrian government in 2019. At the time, a video recorded with a hidden camera in Ibiza showed how the then Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache from the right-wing populist FPÖ discussed questionable deals with an alleged Russian oligarch’s niece.
About a year ago, the then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned as head of government and later also as ÖVP party leader after allegations of infidelity, bribery and corruption – the allegations against him are also linked to the Austrian media. Now renewed revelations from the resulting investigations put the two journalists Nowak and Schrom under pressure.
Apologies for “tonality and inappropriate closeness”
According to excerpts from the investigation file, which were published in the media last week, Rainer Nowak exchanged a series of SMS in 2017 with the former Secretary General of the Vienna Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid. Accordingly, Chancellor Kurz’s close confidante should help him to the ORF’s executive chair – in return for his support. In a letter to the readers, Nowak apologized for the “tonality and inappropriate proximity” in the short messages.
According to the chat history, Mathias Schrom was in regular contact with the FPÖ and indicated that he was trying to curb the influence of the Social Democrats on the ORF. According to the Austrian news agency APA, Schrom writes about the broadcaster’s orientation: “We already have enough to do and it’s difficult every day, but it’s getting slow and there are fewer people who think they have to save the SPÖ.”
According to APA, Schrom himself now conceded that the leaked messages “admittedly did not have a happy external effect”. He indicated that it was important to maintain a “talking ground” with a governing party that had been hostile to the ORF.