In 1985, a few young writers and photographers in the Swabian province joined forces to form a community of reporters. Far away from the major media centers of Hamburg, Berlin and Munich, many predicted failure. The skepticism was even greater when our founders ventured a model based on solidarity: all fees went into a common pot and were withdrawn as needed.
But it worked. We got orders, new members, and committed social reportage quickly became a core element of Zeitenspiegel. In order to promote such stories outside our community, in 1998 we announced our first reportage prize in the name of our honorary member, the photographer Hansel Mieth. Today, this prize and the Gabriel Grüner Scholarship - named after our colleague who was shot in the Kosovo war - are among the most prestigious awards in German journalism.
Im Lauf der Jahre gründeten wir einen Kindergarten und eine Reportageschule. Mit der Culture Counts Foundation starteten wir die globale Reportageserie „Peace counts“ über Friedensstifterinnen und Friedensstifter. Mit einem ähnlich konstruktiven Ansatz erscheint seit zehn Jahren unser Mut-Magazin – als Beilage in bis zu 20 Tageszeitungen und mit einer Auflage von rund 800.000 Exemplaren. Ein Herzensprojekt, preisgekrönt, ebenso wie viele unserer Reportagen.
Unser Zuhause ist bis heute Weinstadt, ein idyllischer Flecken zwischen Rebhängen im Stuttgarter Speckgürtel. In einem ehemaligen Bauernhaus betreiben wir hier auch das Stern-Büro Baden-Württemberg. Andere Zeitenspieglerinnen und Zeitenspieglern sitzen unter anderem in Hamburg, Dortmund, Berlin, Leipzig, Kopenhagen, Manila oder Peking. Gemeinsam entwickeln wir jede Woche neue Ideen: für Tageszeitungen, Magazine, Radio und TV.
We think in many narrative forms: political analyses, columns, podcasts, video stories. And, of course, classic reportage in pictures and text. The same golden rule has applied for four decades: good stories have many facets. And we want to tell them.
Voices on Zeitenspiegel:
„The last and only kibbutz on German soil.“
Stefanie Rosenkranz, Stern reporter
„You're neo-hippies!“
Souleymane Oulai, Ivorian radio presenter and former Rastaman
„A bit pietistic, but open-minded.“
Markus Grill, journalist at the WDR/NDR/Süddeutsche Zeitung research network
„Money was always tight, but I was the freest man on God's earth, I could choose the stories I wanted to do and travel wherever I wanted.“
Jürgen Schaefer, editor-in-chief at GEO about his time at Zeitenspiegel
„When you go public, I want to know.“
Thomas Osterkorn, former editor-in-chief of Stern magazine
„Side gussets - who is that?“
Elaine Miradour, television presenter on state television in Côte d'Ivoire
What is Zeitenspiegel? A “sheltered workshop” as some mock?
Stephanie Nannen, freelance author
„I appreciate the inner attitude at Zeitenspiegel and believe that good writers are always needed. Anyone who wants good, committed, enlightening journalism, who appreciates the undaunted way in which Zeitenspiegel devotes itself to the problems of the Third World in projects such as „Peace Counts“, who values meaning and responsibility, must wish this community of reporters that it will be around for a long time to come.“
Ingrid Kolb, Stern author, former director of the Henri Nannen School