Expert analyses: – This is how domestic politics exerts power over the ORF

Did Robert Ziegler, ORF’s regional director in Lower Austria, influence the news coverage in favor of the ÖVP (namely ex-governor Erwin Proell and successor Johanna Mikl-Leitner) and companies like Raiffeisen and Novomatic?

As ORF employees are being questioned by an examining board on the Küniglberg during the first hearings on Monday about these massive accusations, the debate about political influence of the public broadcaster, which is committed to objectivity and independence under the law, is reaching a head.

Lower Austria as the tip of the iceberg
“Lower Austria is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” the well-known media and political expert Peter Plaikner tells the “Krone” – recalling the resigned TV editor-in-chief Matthias Schrom: “He has in two other, party – dominated state studios – Tyrol and Vienna – learned how the ORF deals with party politics.”

“Some things go wrong at some editorial offices”
Peter Plaikner also notes that some journalists in other state studios are lenient towards politics and a lack of well-founded criticism: “In that respect, some ORF editors are probably doing something wrong. As a basis for this judgment, you only have to look at the broadcasts .”

His critical conclusion: “The greater danger than an obvious influence is the scissors in the head that can form among ORF employees by circumstances such as the state studio of Lower Austria is currently accused of.”

Plaikner sees a fundamental evil in the exercise of power by the state governors over state radio: “Political dependence on the state studios begins with the election of the general manager of the ORF. He needs as many votes as possible from the nine state founding councils. But they are de facto determined by the provincial governors.”

And as is well known, the provincial governors are also closely involved in the appointment of the directors of the state workshops. The latter would only be legally entitled to a hearing, “because of the political dependence on the ORF general, most of them reinterpret it at least to participation”, says the expert. His demand: “The right of state governors to be heard must be abolished without replacement.”

Supervisory Board – “The fish stinks out of the head”
The Tyrolean is hard against the supervisory board, the highest control body of the ORF: “The fish stinks from the head. This does not mean the general director, but the board. The flawed design must be repaired.’ From Plaikner’s point of view, the federal states could continue to provide foundation councils – “but there would be many other procedures for their election.” The more citizen participation, the better.”

Too few experts and independents
Can a public-law medium be built entirely without party politics? “No. But the ORF committees lack both a counterweight by enough independent people and the expertise of experts.

Comment: It’s about the future of the ORF
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner calls the affair in the state workshop of Lower Austria an “ORF internal intrigue”, she denies any intervention on her part or her party. It is as if a chicken farmer would describe cage farming as an internal problem for his chickens, says cabaret artist Florian Scheuba. All pretty funny if the situation wasn’t so serious. Because this is about the future of the ORF. For nothing more and nothing less.