Journalist discount
A journalist discount (also known as a press discount or journalist tariff) is a special discount or discount on goods and services for journalists . There are two types:
- Companies have always offered discounts in close connection with journalistic activities for the purpose of reporting (e.g. free admission to events, review copies of books or software or free press trips ).
- Journalists also receive discounts that are not directly related to reporting (e.g. discounted travel tickets for private holidays or discounts on cars, computers, electrical appliances or financial products). As a rule, a press ID is required in order to receive such discounts.
Journalist discounts are controversial within the profession: They are viewed critically because they could shape journalistic reporting as a possible form of taking advantage or bribery . The opposite position is that discounts do not affect journalists unless they are granted and used in direct connection with reporting.
From an ethical point of view, it is emphasized that not only the offer of journalist discounts by companies, but also the demand by journalists is questionable. A dissenting opinion is that the increasingly poor rewards of freelance journalists are forcing them to accept discounts.
Press pass and press discount
Because the press discount is almost always linked to the submission of the “national press card ”, the meaning of the press card has changed: Actually intended as a journalistic tool, it is all too often viewed by journalists (and non-journalists) solely as an “entry ticket” for press discounts to obtain. The press card is therefore an instrument for receiving a wide range of discounts, with the result that some journalists only obtain a press card to benefit from discounts.
In addition, there is the active abuse of “fake” press cards: Due to the freedom of the press guaranteed by the German constitution, everyone can issue a press card, which is why numerous companies and associations sell their own press cards and falsely suggest that they can take advantage of numerous press discounts. The German Association of Journalists (DJV) informs about such misuse of the press card, but journalists also criticize its presentation.
Development of journalist discounts
In Germany there are three phases:
Until the end of the nineties
Up until around the turn of the millennium, journalists exchanged information about discounts among their colleagues "in secret" through word of mouth. Therefore, only insiders were aware of press discounts. Journalist and provider usually agreed on the discounts informally, which was usually only possible with the appropriate insider knowledge.
Since the end of the nineties
With the spread of the Internet, journalist portals began to publicly document press discounts on the Internet. In 1997 Journalismus.com first published a list of press discounts on the Internet. At about the same time, a discount list, the “Red Pages”, appeared as a print product in Berlin. Pressekondionen.de and Pressessprecher.de followed three years later.
This meant that it was no longer just an insider group who had knowledge of the practice of press discounts. The internet portals in particular documented publicly for the first time that journalists were able to take advantage of numerous discounts. The fact that they actually do this is documented by the relevant internet forums in which discount tips are exchanged. Evidence is also provided by the high circulation of e-mail newsletters on this topic: with an estimated 50,000 full-time journalists in Germany, more than 20,000 subscribers receive a press discount newsletter from the Internet portal Journalismus.com alone .
As a result, the subject received more attention from journalists. Specialized media, such as the journalist or the Ver.di magazine M-Menschenmachen Medien , took a critical position. The debate will continue in media journalism and journalist forums.
Development since the abolition of the discount law in 2001
The Discount Act severely restricted press discounts: According to the Discount Act, generous discounts had to be directly related to professional activity. Discounts for private use were not permitted by law. When the discount law was abolished on July 25, 2001, the number of press discounts on offer grew suddenly. The trend continues to this day.
The objective with which companies grant discounts tends to shift. While press discounts were initially almost exclusively a PR tool, companies are increasingly seeing journalist tariffs as a marketing tool. Under these circumstances, the target group of journalists is viewed more as a key customer sales channel; discounts are a sales instrument for products. Contact is then not made via the company's press office, but via the key customer service of the sales department according to a "key customer price list". Many of the perks then hardly deviate from what you could get in discount anyway with good negotiating technique.
Journalist discounts and bribery
General
The discussion as to whether or not discounts are allowed for journalists is a frequent one within the workplace and in media journalism. Many journalists see this as a manipulation of objective reporting, others believe that such low discounts have no convincing effect. The press code of the German Press Council provides a certain orientation framework .
“The acceptance and granting of advantages of any kind, which could be capable of impairing the freedom of decision-making of the publisher and editors, are incompatible with the reputation, independence and task of the press. Anyone who allows himself to be bribed for distributing or suppressing news is acting dishonorably and unprofessionally. "
It is widely believed that this passage prohibits journalists from accepting discounts. However, if you read the text carefully, it is ambiguous. Another interpretation states that the press code does not generally prohibit the acceptance of benefits. The journalist is only strictly instructed to ensure that discounts do not influence his journalistic decision.
In addition to the press code, broadcasters and publishers regulate the acceptance of journalist discounts with varying degrees of strictness. At the Süddeutsche Zeitung, for example, there are no official rules. When MDR , the use is permitted by press discounts, even when ZDF journalists discounts are tolerated. The WDR considers discounts granted to all WDR employees to be harmless. The SWR, on the other hand, prohibits all employees from accepting benefits in connection with their official work. This also includes discounts on private transactions (especially discounts and free gifts). The media code of the Netzwerk Recherche forbids the acceptance of any kind of benefit (point 6): "Journalists forego any kind of benefit or discount."
74 percent of all daily newspaper journalists stated in a study that they take advantage of press discounts. Half of the respondents saw this practice as problematic and 80 percent are sure that companies offer discounts because they hope to influence the reporting.
criticism
For Klaus-Dieter Altmeppen , Professor of Journalism, journalist discounts are clearly one of the strategies for creating balance. Press discounts pose a threat to the credibility and responsibility of journalism. "When it gets to the point where journalists force press discounts by saying, 'I'll not report, or I'll report in a certain way.' Then I think that is almost legally relevant. "
Markus Grill thinks that press discounts make journalists a privileged class: "Each and every one of these journalist discounts removes us a little more from the people we actually work for."
The spokesman for the German Association of Journalists, Hendrik Zörner, criticizes the fact that the direct relationship between the person who takes up the discount, namely the journalist, and the company that grants the discount could result in a dependency that is detrimental to the credibility of journalism.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International is calling for journalists' discounts to be abolished.
to travel
There are press trips a. in two variants:
- Press trips for travel journalists: Tour operators want to make a tourist destination known and bear the costs of the trip. This practice is controversial and is seen in part as an attempt to influence the tour operator. Therefore, some editorial offices insist on bearing the costs themselves. On the other hand, most editorial offices and especially freelance journalists argue that they can only finance their research with the help of press trips.
- Press trips for product presentations: They frame the presentation of a product. The travel destination generally has no factual reference to the product (e.g. car, computer, software). It could well be several days in a luxury hotel.
In addition, companies grant journalist discounts for travel and hotel accommodation. Numerous museums, amusement parks and zoos offer journalists free entry upon presentation of their press card. There are also special journalist rates and additional services from rental car providers.
Some companies like Air Berlin or Deutsche Bahn, however, have stopped all discount campaigns for journalists. The Austrian Federal Railways have also abolished their journalist discounts (50 percent reduction in fare and a free upgrade to 1st class) because they are to be assessed as granting benefits.
cars
Automobile manufacturers such as BMW, Audi or Mercedes give journalists a 15% discount on new vehicles or provide test vehicles for motor journalists, usually for 10 to 14 days. This is contractually regulated with the publisher, the editorial staff or the freelance journalist in order to prevent misuse of the test vehicle. Occasionally, vehicles are made available for long-term tests, but more so from car magazines.
See also
literature
- Ivo Rzegotta: Discounts tempt you to give up . No. 39 . Transparency International Deutschland eV, April 2008, ISSN 1864-9068 , p. 11–12 ( transparency.de [PDF; accessed October 30, 2015]).
- Spotlight 39, main topic: media. Transparency International , April 2008, accessed November 8, 2015
- Enjoying favors. Journalism and corruption. In: transparency.de , 2013, accessed on November 8, 2015
Individual evidence
- ↑ presseausweis.org
- ↑ Broken press card. In: heise.de
- ^ Forum on journalismus.com
- ↑ In Germany fewer and fewer journalists can make a living from their profession. In: heise.de
- ↑ Company information , as of 2/2007
- ↑ a b "Journalist." ( Memento of the original from June 22, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: von-streit.de
- ↑ "M-Menschen Make Media" ( memento of the original from September 26, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Article on jonet.org ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b thread on journalismus.com
- ↑ Deutschlandradio
- ↑ ARD / Panorama ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Discount hunters with a press pass. In: welt.de
- ↑ Greetings from the gray area. In: welt.de
- ↑ Thread on journalismus.com
- ↑ From yesterday: Discounts for journalists ( Memento from September 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: ndr.de , accessed on October 28, 2015
- ↑ Discounts with aftertaste ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Media Monitor, accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ a b Discounts with aftertaste. ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Medien Monitor , accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Press discounts: How journalists haggle over percentages. In: ndr.de , accessed on October 28, 2015
- ↑ Enjoyment of favors. Journalism and corruption. ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: transparency.de , accessed on November 10, 2015
- ↑ From yesterday: Discounts for journalists ( Memento from September 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: ndr.de , accessed on November 10, 2015
- ↑ Pressekondbedingungen.de Accessed on November 17, 2015
- ↑ The most popular press discounts in 2012. In: meedia.de , accessed on November 17, 2015
- ^ ÖBB are abolishing discounts for journalists. In: derstandard.at , accessed on November 17, 2015
