by Edward Steen, Vienna, March 22, 2023
In defiance of protests across Austrian society, including by the respected former federal President Heinz Fischer, the 320-year-old Austrian paper – the oldest surviving printed daily in the world – is on the point of being pushed off the news-stands and into the maw of a government-run online “media hub”.
This is the latest from Paul Vécsei, Coordinator of the “Save the Wiener Zeitung” editorial committee.
With the report published in today’s Kurier (DE – click for: English translation), the Federal Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media Minister Susane Raab‘s entourage is probably trying to herald the final stage in the destruction of the print edition of the WZ.
Although an editorial committee is working on continuation models and negotiating with interested parties, the government continues to refuse to engage in dialogue with the editorial team. The numerous supporters from civil society have also been denied any response to their concerns for months.
Former Federal President Heinz Fischer rightly described this as an “expression of weakness”. Now, contrary to all previous concerns, the draft law is apparently to be introduced into Parliament.
See Kurier report (DE)
Raab and her little helpers intend to go down in history as the killers of the oldest daily newspaper in the world that still exists. You can be sure of a well-deserved place, for example in a future Wikipedia.
But we are now asking all our supporters for their help again. Please bring all your influence, depending on your possibilities, again to prevent a contribution or a resolution in this form. We will try as long as possible to work on alternatives whose existence has been untruthfully denied by the owners. We will of course keep you up to date on the next steps and thank you for the great support you have already given. Unfortunately, this is now necessary again.
Paul Vecsei