WRONG VIEW OF GERMAN MEDIA GIVEN

I refer to the letter, 'Reports on German drug case disgusting' (ST, March
26), by Ms Ryhan Beister.

I am a German living in Singapore and I feel that the comments Ms Beister
has made about the reporting style of the German press is not correct.

She says she and her husband are disgusted by the stories regarding the
Julia Bohl drug-trafficking case published in local German newspapers,
including Bild and Express.

Bild and Express are the biggest and worst German tabloids. They thrive on
cheap sensationalism, celebrity gossip and half-true stories.

Many Germans do not take their publications seriously, but may read them
for entertainment, which I think is especially true for the more educated
segment of German society.

She writes also that 'reporters for German television news shows have even
conducted 'exclusive' interviews at hawker stalls and have made a mockery
of those Singaporeans who agree that Bohl deserves the death penalty if she
is found guilty'.

But the TV programmes featuring these interviews are from the so-called
Free TV companies. This is a group of about eight TV stations from a total
of approximately 30 that Germans are usually able to receive.

They do not request any payment and finance themselves through massive
advertisements. They employ similar tactics as the tabloids to attract
audiences.

There are plenty of serious newspapers in Germany, such as Die Zeit,
Frankfurter Allgemeine, Suddeutsche and Die Welt, to name only the biggest
ones.

There are also political magazines, such as Spiegel, Focus and Stern.

All of them, according to my observation, have reported the Bohl case
responsibly. TV programmes with factual reports include ARD, ZDF, WDR and BR.

To my knowledge, the official German policy is to handle the case with
reason, keeping things low profile and avoiding interference in Singapore's
internal affairs.

Peter Kroll