Visible Integration

Gualtiero Zambonini has been the commissioner for integration at the Cologne-based German public broadcaster, WDR, since 2003.

DW-WORLD.DE: The ZDF public network will have a new German-Iraqi presenter for their main news show starting end of April. Some media experts have called the appointment of a minority anchorwoman "revolutionary." Do you see it that way too?

Gualtiero Zambonini: I wouldn't call it revolutionary, but it's definitely an important signal in the right direction. At WDR, we've had Asli Sevindim, a Turkish-German journalist, as the main anchorwoman of our evening prime-time news show for over a year now. Another of our Turkish-German editors, Birand Bingül, belongs to the team of commentators on the prime-time news show on the ARD network.

So, in a way ZDF is following us. But that's also important because it's a sign that the public broadcasters in Germany have realized the necessity of reflecting this development in society both in their programs as well as in the profiles of their presenters.

There are still very few minority presenters on the German networks. Why is that the case?

At WDR, we've been developing measures for the past four years at least to try and get immigrant journalists on mainstream programs. But in reality, we are only at the beginning of the road. Nobody should be under the illusion that just because we have a presenter of Iraqi origin on ZDF or an anchorwoman with a Turkish background on WDR, we've taken care of the problem. These examples are important for two reasons. Firstly, because they show how seriously we want to promote the issue. And secondly, because these role models are a sign to potential journalists who perhaps haven't trusted themselves up to now or didn't think that presenting a prime-time news show on major networks could be something for a person with an Iraqi or an Italian name. It provides encouragement for more immigrants to pursue journalism careers.

In the past, these signs were missing as was a hiring policy among media companies that consciously looked for minority journalists and signaled "we want more of them." That's part of the problem why there are such few minority journalists in newsrooms and in front of cameras and microphones. We simply realized the problem too late in Germany.

The other part of the problem is that it's only now in the second and third generation of immigrants that talent and potential is coming to the fore in the German media market. These are children from immigrant families who grew up here and went to school and university. This is a development that took place much earlier in countries such as Britain or the Netherlands partly because some of these nations have a history of immigration different from Germany's.

How does Germany compare with other countries in Europe when it comes to integrating its immigrants into television?

We can definitely learn from good examples in Europe, for instance from countries such as Sweden or the Netherlands where there are integration policies at the broadcasters and corresponding laws. In the Netherlands for example, minorities are entitled to have a certain share of programming in the media and there are laws governing it. That obviously creates a whole new basis for the question about which journalists the networks hire.

At the same time, that doesn't mean there are no problems in these countries. In the Netherlands, there are still too many programs that are white -- that means there are too many white Dutch faces and not enough immigrants. In Britain, the situation is slightly different. For instance, BBC International is a wonderful example of journalistic diversity, but that's not the case in all BBC programs. My colleagues at BBC say, 'It's good that we've achieved some goals, but we're still far removed from truly representing society in the media.'

We can learn from the French too, who are redoubling efforts to tackle the problem of a lack of minority journalists. But we're generally lagging behind in Europe. The important thing is that we've all recognized the problem.

What else needs to be done at the networks for there to be a real change?

A rethink is already taking place among the top managers at the broadcasters as a result of pressure from politicians, societal developments as well as pressure from European policies which have placed integration of minorities high on the agenda. One has to say that is not just a question of values and good sense but also a question of the market. We have to take demographic developments into account. Today every fifth person in Germany has an immigrant background. Among the younger generations in big cities, it's every second person. That means that viewers too have changed and this viewer ship lives in a culture of diversity. If we don't take these viewers into account, then we lose the right to exist. It really is a question of our existence.

But to really make progress on the issue, there has to be a change in the media company culture as well as in the way funds are managed. In addition, the issue has to be anchored in the guiding principles of the broadcasters and supported with further training programs for employees as well as managers. If nothing changes in the minds of the decision-makers, then we can't solve the problem.

I believe that the public broadcasters bear a special responsibility towards promoting integration of immigrants. We're all financed by licensing fees, the public networks need to all take a stand on the issue.

When do you think we'll see a black presenter or a Turkish-German anchor on "Tagesschau"? (Germany's most popular news program)

That won't take too long. I hope that this healthy competition among the networks on the issue will soon generate a new face for the program.