Overview
- Juliane Schäuble of Die Zeit won the top award, with Susanne Koelbl (Der Spiegel) and Katharina Willinger (ARD) sharing second place and a special posthumous prize honoring WELT correspondent Christine Kensche.
- The awards were presented on November 14 in Frankfurt’s Römer, where Kensche’s parents accepted her recognition.
- German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius delivered the keynote, warning about fading nuance in public debate and the resulting risks to democratic life.
- Werner-Holzer-Institut chair Michel Friedman cited AI-driven manipulation and TikTok’s sway over young audiences as threats, praising careful, on-the-ground journalism as a safeguard.
- Kensche was recognized for immediate reporting in Israel after October 7, including early eyewitness work in Kibbutz Re’im and investigations into Hamas financing and sexual violence.