The press spokeswoman for the second division soccer team FC Hansa Rostock, Marit Scholz, has to pay a total of 5,000 euros. The Rostock public prosecutor’s office issued this requirement. At the same time, proceedings for insult were discontinued.
Sports journalist Sönke Fröbe from the “Ostsee-Zeitung” (OZ) reported Scholz after an incident on the 34th and final matchday of last season. The 44-year-old appeared at the official press conference after the game wearing a dubious T-shirt. This T-shirt showed a combination of letters that could be interpreted as a serious insult against the OZ reporter.
Scholz explained at the time that the combination of letters was not a message or a statement.
That’s what it’s about: Picture from the press conference.
In response to a current NDR query, Scholz replied that she did not want to comment. According to the public prosecutor’s office, she declared through her defense attorney that she would fulfill the monetary requirement. 2,500 euros will go to a charitable organization in Greifswald, and 2,500 euros will go to journalist Fröbe as compensation.
There are always differences between the club and the OZ reporter
Even before the incident in May, there had been repeated differences between FC Hansa and the OZ reporter. The association withdrew Fröbe’s permanent accreditation around two years ago because they disagreed with the reporting several times.
Just a few days later, however, the Rostock regional court issued an interim injunction, giving the journalist the opportunity to continue reporting on Hansa Rostock from the Ostseestadion.
Association of Journalists emphasizes strengthening press freedom
The German Association of Journalists sees the rights of free reporting strengthened. “Any attempts to intimidate or put journalists under pressure must be stopped in the first place. I am glad that the investigative authorities and courts in our country also see it that way,” said Corinna Pfaff from the German Journalists’ Association of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
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NDR television | North Magazine | Oct 25, 2023 | 19:30 o’clock
