Springer boss Mathias Döpfner, who was recently criticized, resigns prematurely as president of the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV).
Döpfner will hand over his office "in an orderly manner to new hands, preferably also to new structures, starting in the fall," the BDZV announced on Tuesday.
In a personal letter to the members of the association, the CEO of Axel Springer SE asked for their understanding of his decision.
His term of office at the BDZV actually runs until autumn 2024.
On the one hand, he justified his step with the purchase of the US portal “Politico”, which “requires significantly more time and presence from me in America”.
On the other hand, someone who does not stand for a large, international publishing house must step up to the top of the association in order to better represent the interests of small and medium-sized, regional and local publishers.
The University of Frankfurt is currently examining allegations of plagiarism relating to Döpfner's doctoral thesis.
A commission examines his dissertation from 1990: "Music criticism in Germany after 1945: Content and formal tendencies - a critical analysis".
Döpfner was also criticized in the affair surrounding former Bild boss Julian Reichelt.
In a personal but well-known SMS, Döpfner had criticized German journalists in general terms with a controversial comparison to the GDR.