All-around

In mid-October, two noteworthy media events took place that also have relevance for the SAP community: On Friday, October 19, 21 representatives of European broadcasters signed the "Potsdam Declaration," a commitment to strong public broadcasting in Europe. On the same day, there was a press conference at FC Bayern, where SAP is making a sustained commitment.

Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Hasan Salihamidˇzi'c sat on the podium at FC Bayern's press conference. In the accompanying Spiegel Online report, the following could be read shortly after the press conference: Rummenigge and Hoeneß addressed several media directly.

At FC Bayern, he said, they now want to form a unit:

"It is important that the most important club in Germany positions itself clearly"

said Hoeneß.

"We will accept no more disrespect."

The company has already taken legal action and will continue to do so in the future. The company will also make greater use of its own media channels. (End of Spiegel Online quote, October 19, 2018, 12:52 p.m., bka)

The journalist colleagues from the "Football" department were amused to horrified. No reason to panic! Anyone who has worked in business reporting for more than 25 years is familiar with such "outbursts of rage" from Dax board members and associated press officers.

I have had the privilege of accompanying SAP on its successful path with E-3 Magazine for about 20 years and have experienced such "tantrums" and legal threats several times.

I don't know how the matter will develop at FC Bayern, but in the case of SAP, the effects of such a request are already clearly visible - to the detriment of the SAP community, in my opinion:

Under the leadership of ex-SAP CEO Professor Henning Kagermann and CFO Werner Brandt, there were annual financial press conferences in Frankfurt/Main that were hard to beat in terms of commitment, participation, information, media diversity and liveliness.

It was not SAP's own media channels that dutifully reported, but numerous correspondents and broadcasters who wanted comment.

And today? SAP has moved the venue of its annual press conference from the financial center of Frankfurt/Main to its own territory in Walldorf. Few and select journalists form a silent backdrop for Bill McDermott's and Luka Mucic's speaking exercise.

Confrontation with journalistic reality is avoided as far as possible. No more "disrespect" is accepted from critical questioners!

"In our time, which is characterized by ever-increasing antagonism, the solidification of viewpoints and populism, public broadcasting organizations across Europe are taking on a vital role.

It has never been more important (than it is today) to offer the public the broad diversity of opinions and beliefs and to depict complex processes from different perspectives.

News should be unbiased, information should be trusted by everyone, content should reach everyone, reflect all views and build bridges between groups in society."

This is an excerpt from the Potsdam Declaration signed by representatives of public broadcasters on the day of the FC Bayern press conference.