I have a dream for the German newspaper publishers
German newspaper publishers are facing a crucial test. Each publisher is fighting for survival in the digital age with its own means, its own resources and often against each other. Dependence on advertising technologies and platforms from American corporations has made business difficult. Data, once the most valuable asset, is no longer controlled by publishers, but by anonymous algorithms that decide what the reader sees. The local advertising market is collapsing, while the national market has long been dominated by global giants. The future looks bleak and uncertain.
Imagine what this bleak future could look like: Individual publishers, isolated and weakened, continue to fight for survival. Their valuable content sinks into the depths of the internet, while revenue from advertising continues to shrink. Editorial resources are becoming scarcer and quality is suffering. More and more readers are turning away because they miss the value and uniqueness of local reporting. Local stories are being lost, and with them the heart of German press freedom and democracy.
However, there is another way, a dream that could come true: A common, German platform, independent of US technologies and owned in part by the publishers themselves. This vision could make the newspaper publishers a strong, unified voice again. It is a vision based on platform economics - a system based on cooperation and shared benefit.
In this vision, all German publishers have access to a common platform. This platform is not just a technical basis, but a jointly developed and used infrastructure. All publishers benefit equally from the innovations created on this platform. Costs are reduced through the shared use of resources. Small publishers no longer have to invest in their own expensive systems, but can use the same powerful tools as the large publishing houses.
This platform offers speed and innovation. Updates and new functions are developed centrally and made available to all users immediately. Publishers can therefore concentrate on their core business: high-quality journalism. They regain control over their data and can use it in a targeted and secure manner for their own purposes. Revenue sovereignty remains in the hands of the publishers, who generate their advertising revenue directly and without deduction by third-party providers.
A system like this promotes collaboration and exchange between publishers. It enables joint projects from which everyone can benefit and strengthens local reporting, which forms the backbone of the German press landscape. The diversity and quality of content is increased, which in turn increases reader trust and loyalty.
This platform is more than just a technical system - it is a symbol of the unity and strength of the German press. It is a step back to independence and a step forward to a future where German newspaper publishers are back in control of their destiny.
I have a dream for the German newspaper publishers. A dream of a strong, united press that goes its own way and makes its own decisions. A dream in which the diversity and quality of reporting is maintained and publishers can continue to fulfill their important role in society. It is a dream that can become reality if we take the right steps today.
Publishers make journalism possible.
We enable publishers.
