This emerges from chats reported on Friday by “profil” and “Standard”, among others. The ORF emphasized in a broadcast that political wishes expressed in the chats had not been fulfilled by the ORF.
For example, the then Vice Chancellor and FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache had a lively exchange with Thomas Prantner, who was responsible for the ORF’s online activities as ORF’s technical director at the time and has since left the public media company. According to “Standard”, Prantner is said to have sent Strache many receipts for large and prominently placed reports regarding the FPÖ on ORF.at and in the ORF TVthek. After Strache complained regarding the FPÖ’s lack of consideration, he is said to have called the ORF editor-in-chief. And he wrote: “I’ve been there at any time of the day or night (for many years) if you need something. Most of the time successfully. I ask that this is recognized and communicated by you within the party leadership.”
Decision “clearly” made by the editor-in-chief
When asked, Prantner said that it was no secret that he was also the contact person for the FPÖ on ORF. “As online boss, it was always important to me that all parties were treated equally in reporting, and that’s what I worked for,” said Prantner. The decision regarding editorial reporting “clearly” rested with the editor-in-chief. There have also been complaints from other parties regarding the ORF online reporting. He forwarded all complaints to the editor-in-chief, who then decided on how to proceed.
Philipp Jelinek also chatted with Strache. He is currently working for the ORF with “Fit with Philipp” as the “nation’s leading gymnast”. He asked the former top politician for support to get a job as a presenter for “Guten Morgen Österreich”. “Dear Heinz, the cake is now being distributed… we urgently have to set the course for me,” he wrote and, according to “Standard”, in return promised to provide information regarding ORF’s internal affairs. Jelinek did not respond to an APA request for comment.
The role of ORF correspondent Christian Wehrschütz was also discussed in the chats. For example, Strache let the current blue EU top candidate Harald Vilimsky and the ex-club chairman Johann Gudenus know that Wehrschütz preferred an “active” role and therefore did not want to become head of foreign correspondents, as chats available to the APA show. Suggestions were circulating to upgrade it “financially and politically in the area of foreign correspondence with Russia” and to also give it a format like the “Europastudio”. The role of regional director for Upper Austria was also rumored. If that doesn’t work, “then he would like to clean up the ORF as head of entertainment,” wrote Strache.
FPÖ “didn’t play a role”
Wehrschütz told the “Standard” that in 2021 he was asked by the then ORF boss Alexander Wrabetz whether he wanted to move to Moscow as a correspondent, but that he refused because he was not ready to cover Ukraine and the Balkans to give up. He only discussed this question with his family. The FPÖ played no role.
The ORF announced in a broadcast that the chats primarily talked regarding ORF employees and not with them. “Once once more it becomes clear that political wishes expressed in the chats were not fulfilled by the ORF. Neither those of politicians nor of individual employees,” it said. The public media company referred to a new ORF code of ethics that will be published soon and contains clear rules for dealing with politicians.
The ORF editorial board saw a “sad moral picture” in a broadcast. “The ORF should be run by people who are acceptable to the party – or it should be trimmed down. That was the case when the FPÖ was involved in government and it is still the case today, as numerous public statements by the FPÖ have shown recently. Anyone who is independent Journalism ruins, damages democracy,” said the editorial board. It is unfortunate that there are always people who ingratiate themselves with parties and hope to have a career in the ORF. “This is a slap in the face to all journalists at ORF who stand for critical, objective and independent reporting,” it said.
“The FPÖ is cutting everything short and small”
“The FPÖ ignores everything that does not fit into its authoritarian worldview,” SPÖ federal manager Klaus Seltenheim was quoted as saying in a broadcast. The chats would show “the brutality with which the Blue Postenschacher operated and wanted to make the ORF submissive,” said the SPÖ politician. The Greens said in a broadcast that the FPÖ represented a “threat to democracy in Austria”. Independent media are a thorn in the side of the FPÖ, Meri Dioski, leader of the Green Party in the U-committee on “red-blue abuse of power,” was quoted as saying. Yannick Shetty, NEOS parliamentary group leader in the same U-committee, described the FPÖ’s media policy as “endangering democracy.” The party wants to “clean out” undesirable journalists and “lift blue people into important positions at all costs.” It is all the more important that the ORF is freed from the shackles of party politics.
The fact that the FPÖ chats on ORF and also exchanges ideas with some journalists is not new. As early as 2022, the then ORF TV News editor-in-chief Matthias Schrom resigned from his job following chats with Strache became public. As the then ORF 2 editor-in-chief, he exchanged ideas with the politician regarding the content of ORF reporting and personnel requirements.
