GDR today
GDR Today was the title of a newspaper published from March 1985 to May 1990 under the patronage of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) in Frankfurt am Main . 30 numbers were printed during this period.
Founding and editing
Funded by the ISHR, an editorial team was formed from four young men who had come from the GDR to the Federal Republic between 1982 and 1984 by different routes . Three of you had served prison terms in GDR prisons or had been ransomed by the Federal Republic of Germany.
Manfred Jope from Riesa ad Elbe , Nikolaus Fleck from Leipzig , Hilmar Helmecke from Brandenburg and Mathias Brand from Sömmerda founded the newspaper "DDR heute". Ehrhard Göhl from Darmstadt (known as the “ father of the former political GDR prisoners ”) and Siegmar Faust from Leipzig joined them later .
Newspaper content and authors
The "crooked picture" that many German citizens had of the GDR in the 1980s should, according to their own admission, be straightened out. The myths and whitewashing spread from the publisher's point of view should be contrasted with the reality of the GDR. Last but not least, it was about the situation of political prisoners in the GDR prisons. Here the editors could rely on current reports and their own experience. “Arousing understanding and building bridges” was the magazine's motto. Many authors often participated without asking for a fee. The newspaper also advertised political events and GDR-related literature for free.
layout
The newspaper initially appeared in black and white, A4 format and had 24 pages. Later there were also glossy covers and partly colored pictures. The only professional and paid service was the design of the newspaper head by the graphic artist Gero Hilliger , as it turned out later, an agent of the State Security of the GDR.
Individual evidence
- ^ Journal database (ZDB). Retrieved May 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Cicero: https://www.cicero.de/innenpolitik/ddr-buergerrechtler-dissidents-ost ... ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Stefan Appelius : Double game of the fast draftsman . In: Spiegel Online . September 8, 2010 ( spiegel.de [accessed May 17, 2020]).