Criticism also from Germany
Austria’s parties share posts in the ORF
2/1/2022, 6:36 p.m
The Austrian governing parties of the last few years share posts at the public broadcaster ORF according to agreements. The recently resigned ORF Director General Alexander Wrabetz made this public. This gives the debate about side agreements between the parties new fodder.
According to media reports, Austrian governing parties have made detailed agreements on filling posts in the public broadcaster ORF. Alexander Wrabetz, who resigned as ORF general director at the end of December, confirmed that such agreements were implemented under the coalition between the conservative ÖVP and the right-wing FPÖ (2017-2019). Compared to the “Salzburger Nachrichten” he also spoke of a similar agreement of the current government between the ÖVP and the Greens.
The agreements have not only triggered protests in the ORF editorial offices, but also in public editorial committees in Germany. According to media reports, the management was divided with the agreements: Three posts were assigned to the sphere of influence of the ÖVP, two more to the smaller coalition partner, i.e. the FPÖ until 2019 and the Greens afterwards.
ORF is not an “auxiliary organ of the government”
The ORF editors’ council called for an end to this approach, which was also practiced by previous governments: “The ORF is neither an ‘auxiliary organ of the government’ nor a political front-end organization in which parties or the government are entitled to make personnel decisions.” Colleagues from ARD, Deutschlandradio, DW and ZDF supported the demand. “The institution must be freed from the clutches of politics!” wrote the working group of public-law editors’ committees.
The excitement about the ORF is part of a larger debate about side agreements to coalition agreements that have been leaked to the media. In a so-called side letter, for example, top positions in various courts were divided between the ÖVP and the Greens.