After Reichelt's dismissal: Axel Springer plans to provide information on internal relationships

The media group Axel Springer wants to create a set of rules with information standards for internal private relationships by the end of the year. This was confirmed by the media company in Berlin on Tuesday at the request of the German Press Agency, previously reported by the Financial Times newspaper. According to the group, it is essentially about informing the employer about romantic relationships in which a conflict of interest could exist, for example in the case of dependencies between superiors and directly subordinate colleagues. The background is also the consequences of earlier investigations against ex-Bild editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt in the spring.

There should be no general bans on relationships, but employees should be obliged in certain cases, i.e. in the event of conflicts of interest, to inform about relationships, as the company also said.

For example, a person of trust in the group or a responsible position in the compliance or human resources department who receives this information would be conceivable.

Privacy should be preserved as much as possible.

The whole thing should help to counteract a possible abuse of dependency relationships or possible injustices in a department through relationships and disadvantages for third parties.

The aim is to set international standards that apply to all countries.

The company employs around 16,500 people.

According to Springer's CEO Döpfner, the board decided in April that such a regulation should be introduced.

Since then, one has been in talks with employee representatives.

Springer Bild released editor-in-chief Reichelt from his duties in mid-October.

The occasion was press research that was based on an internal procedure against Reichelt from the spring.

According to Springer, at the core of the investigation were allegations of abuse of power in connection with consensual relationships with female employees and drug use in the workplace.

The group came to the conclusion that Reichelt should keep his post.

In mid-October, the media company said: “As a result of press research, the company had gained new insights into the current behavior of Julian Reichelt in the last few days. The company investigated this information. The management board learned that Julian Reichelt did not clearly separate personal and professional matters even after completing the compliance procedure in spring 2021 and told the management board the untruth. "

The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) will deal with another detail from the press reports on the Reichelt case in its next regular presidium meeting on November 24 - a private text message from Association President Döpfner. In the older short message from which the New York Times had quoted, the latter had named Reichelt, then Bild's editor-in-chief, as the last and only journalist in Germany who was still courageous against the “new GDR authoritarian state”. Almost everyone else has become “propaganda assistants”. Springer had classified that as irony. This had caused widespread criticism, with some media companies making public statements. Döpfner had expressed his regret and at the same time asked for support with the association's tasks.