Today freedom of press is more endangered than ever. Even in Germany as the actual case of Jan Böhmermann proves. The satirist of the German TV station ZDF performed a controversial poem about the Turkish president Erdogan and his totalitarian approach towards freedom of press.

Only days after that Böhmermann was sued by Erdogan himself with several law suits at German courts! The saddest thing was that Angela Merkel herself had the chance to block at least one of the suits. But although there was a huge public protest Merkel allowed the law suit. Which is seen as an appeasement strategy in the context of the refugee crisis in Europe where especially Germany is depending very much on Turkey’s goodwill.

Against this backdrop ZMG, the Newspaper Marketing Association of Germany, wanted to take a stand for freedom of press in general.