Former German President Joachim Gauck addressed a gathering of quality‑media professionals at the Madsack‑Media Group, which includes the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. He urged journalists to move beyond relentless criticism of injustices and to highlight the strengths of democracy, arguing that a focus solely on faults can foster a culture of mistrust and doubt.
Gauck warned that a media landscape dominated by investigative reports on deficits and errors can leave many people indifferent or even angry. “I feel a civic unease when people respond with apathy or fury to the many investigative pieces I see in respectable outlets” he said. “Too many citizens now doubt the overall quality of our democratic system because of persistent negative portrayals”. He suggested that if critical journalism leaves readers questioning the very foundations of democracy, something is clearly amiss.
The former president called on quality media to adopt more moderation and fairness. He emphasized the need for careful critique where democracy and freedom are challenged-citing, for example, accusations of democratic erosion in the United States under Donald Trump. “When the public’s belief in positive values wanes, journalists must meet their responsibility to defend democracy” Gauck declared. “You are my allies in the defense of democracy”. He asked that media professionals treat the nation with greater respect and broaden their portrayal of what makes German democracy truly livable.
While Gauck acknowledged that quality journalism already battles “alternative facts” and the “fog and darkness of reality” he argued that this alone is insufficient. “Against such a backdrop, critical journalism must also communicate what people actually have from this country” he said. To achieve this, new formats are needed – ones that engage audiences not merely as passive consumers but as motivated participants in society.