Environmental protection organizations are met with sympathy. But even they should not overdo it. It is not often that one experiences such massive, blunt pressure from lobby organizations on the work of independent journalists as in an open letter from several associations to Hessischer Rundfunk. The organizations demand nothing less from the broadcaster than to put itself at the service of a certain cause, in this case climate protection, and therefore no longer to report impartially.
It is perfectly fine if the environmentalists also want to be represented on the Broadcasting Council in the future, after all, there is no doubt that their concerns are important. But to demand that the broadcaster promote the "change of consciousness" of the Hessians with its program, as it is called by organizations such as BUND Hessen and Greenpeace Frankfurt, would be to say goodbye to the standards according to which journalists work in a free country.
In fact, our colleagues at the radio have long been reporting on the challenges of environmental policy, as have the daily newspapers, including the F.A.Z., on an almost daily basis. But with good reason, they also place this topic, as significant as it is, in the canon of all the others that are also relevant. And they certainly don't try to control viewers or readers – at least not if they know their craft. The judgement of news and background should be formed by every citizen himself.
The fact that the environmental associations convey a distorted image of the companies when they only call for it to be reported on "inadequate climate protection measures and the economy" is a misunderstanding in itself – in fact, the companies have long been much further ahead than the citizens. But that's just the way it is when you don't inform yourself; Recently, for example, Fridays for Future demonstrated in Frankfurt for the "socialization" of Mainova, apparently ignorant of the fact that the company is practically completely in municipal hands. So there is still enough for journalists to educate on the subject of environmental protection, and the associations still have a lot to learn. But they should refrain from trying to control journalists.