Anna Thalhammer has been editor-in-chief of “profil” since March 1st. The 37-year-old native of Upper Austria has replaced Christian Rainer following a quarter of a century at the head of the editorial team. In the APA interview, the former “Presse” chief reporter talks regarding her plans for the news magazine, her “bear skin” as an investigative journalist, the “catastrophic media policy”, chats from Rainer Nowak and a “small, fine club”, which she describes as “profil ” wants to achieve.
APA: You switched to “profil” as “Presse” chief reporter. What makes the news magazine more attractive to you than the daily newspaper?
Anna Thalhammer: They both have their appeal. There have always been two media I really wanted to work for: one was “Die Presse” and the other was “profil”. I was interested in the possibility of designing something. Even if we are currently having economic problems, it is worth fighting for “profil”.
APA: Oscar Bronner, the founder of “profil”, remarked in an APA interview that neither you nor the new managing director Richard Grasl had any experience running magazines and wishes “profil” good luck. Will you need luck?
Thalhammer: You can always use luck. Yes, it’s true, I haven’t acted in such big roles before. But experience has the disadvantage that it is always old.
APA: You have already announced that you will put a clearer focus on economic reporting. Why?
Thalhammer: If you want to be one of the most important political magazines in the country that decision-makers read, it is essential that you have in-depth economic reporting. I want to expand that.
APA: In terms of the economy, Raiffeisenbank is not far away, which is a major co-owner of the Kurier Medienhaus and thus of “profil”. Are you afraid that someone from the group will contact you if you come up with unpleasant reports?
Thalhammer: We’ve already tried that. We wrote regarding Raiffeisen Bank International this week and last week. Nobody reported there. My predecessor Christian Rainer also emphasized that there were never any problems. I don’t think they have time for that. They probably have other concerns and take media freedom seriously.
APA: Have you planned any further course changes apart from the economy?
Thalhammer: The topic of politics is a strong side of “profil” that I would like to emphasize even more. Digital transformation is also a huge topic. So much has been left behind in recent years. In the online area, I want to be able to offer our readers more up-to-date, quick, political reporting. I will also address the issue of paid content because I believe that we have a socio-political educational mission that also has to be paid for.
APA: So there is an online payment barrier?
Thalhammer: Yes, for certain things. A good mix is important here.
APA: In the “Interview in Numbers” with the magazine “Biber” you said that there were five good investigative journalists in Austria. Is Michael Nikbakhsh, who recently left “profil” not in peace, one of them?
Thalhammer: I definitely count him among them. He was once my mentor.
APA: Is it to be feared that other top journalists will leave the magazine?
Thalhammer: No, I hope not. I had no signs of it.
APA: Nikbakhsh was intended to set up an investigative academy for the Kurier Medienhaus. Nothing will come of it now. How is the project progressing?
Thalhammer: Michael Nikbakhsh also suggested a very good program. I think it’s a pity that it doesn’t happen. There are no concrete plans yet, but we will develop something good.
APA: You yourself have repeatedly been in the limelight for critical reports and have already been reported. How do you deal with that?
Thalhammer: It’s not particularly nice to be reported. When you’re investigating, you have to grow a bearskin. I’ve acquired one over the years. If I were to say that nothing bothers me or annoys me, that’s not true either.
APA: The way editors-in-chief dealt with politicians recently caused a stir. Several resigned for crossing borders, including Rainer Nowak from the “Presse”, under whom she became the chief reporter. You thanked him on Twitter that you were able to develop well as a journalist under him. Do you think he had to go, or is dealing with politics like that part of the deal?
Thalhammer: I think that’s a double-edged sword. It’s difficult to explain how things work here to people who don’t dance on this floor. Very much only works through personal contacts, because this country is not used to dealing professionally. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t red lines. Rainer Nowak is one of the few who took action and left voluntarily. Some others can learn a lesson from that.
APA: Is it now generally written off for the industry?
Thalhammer: You have to leave the church in the village. Those were a few messages that were written, the content of which never materialized. Because it was also regarding me: the interventions that were mentioned did not take place. The public prosecutor’s office has determined that these SMS are not criminally relevant. However, the final report from the judiciary was still the reason why Nowak left – because the picture that emerged from it was no longer correct. With his resignation, he tried to avert damage to his life’s work: the “Presse”. Nowak is a person who can do a lot. He took over the “press” in a broken state, and today it is one of the few viable quality media. So he has skills that are valuable. I don’t know whether he will bring them to the media industry in the future.
APA: Let’s get back to you. How do you deal with politicians?
Thalhammer: As a matter of principle, I keep my private life private. With the exception of a Viennese SPÖ district councillor, I have no friends in politics. So I don’t think it might become a pitfall in any way.
APA: How would you describe the current climate between journalism and politics?
Thalhammer: It has become difficult in recent years, which I think has something to do with the turquoise-blue era. It’s very passive-aggressive, sometimes openly aggressive. It doesn’t have to be. If you might have a little more understanding that the other side is just trying to do their job, then it would be easier to deal with.
APA: How do you rate the current media policy plans? Keywords: ORF household tax, new quality journalism funding, increased transparency in advertisements, from the “Wiener Zeitung” as a daily print newspaper.
Thalhammer: The media policy in Austria is actually catastrophic because usually nobody is pursuing it. I find it difficult to make an ORF reform now without seeing the big picture, without having a substantive discussion. It is singularly pulled at one corner or the other, but the big problem is not solved. The music industry has had to reinvent itself three times in the last 15 years and the media industry cannot do it despite millions in funding. This already shows that there is a fundamental problem. The framework conditions, including those of a political nature, for a meaningful transformation are not good enough.
APA: “profil” has been struggling with a loss of circulation and coverage for years. How can the trend be reversed?
Thalhammer: “profil” has had a relatively difficult time with a change of ownership and relocation. In my opinion, therefore, too few major strategic decisions – including those of a business nature – were made. There was no clear strategy to follow because there were these disruptions. Our managing director Richard Grasl, whom I find to be very motivated and ambitious and who already has some plans, is primarily responsible for financial matters. I’m glad that we have to promote the “profil” and not a big daily newspaper. We have to establish a small, fine club that likes us. That should save us.
APA: Are you satisfied with a “small, fine club”, which should probably be bigger than it is now?
Thalhammer: It would of course be desirable if every single Austrian had the “profil” at the table, it’s just unrealistic. The “profil” is read by people who are still willing to engage in in-depth socio-political debates. These are also opinion leaders and decision-makers. And I would like to achieve that once more more often.
(The interview was conducted by Lukas Wodicka/APA)
