Fritz Schenk
Encyclopedia
Fritz Schenk was a German publicist
, journalist
and television anchorman. He become well-known for the general public thanks to his participation in ZDF-Magazin
.
family in Helbra
. A number of his family members were persecuted by Nazis in the Third Reich.
His father was a hydraulic engineer
and worked for years managing a waterworks
in Harz
region, German Democratic Republic
. When Fritz Schenk later escaped to the Federal Republic of Germany, his father was dismissed from the job and died of heart infarction on 10 November 1962 after an interrogation by the Stasi
. Schenk later accused Communists throughout all of his life of having killed his father, whereas Nazis had just treated him in an unhuman manner
Since 1951, Fritz Schenk was married to Rosemarie (maiden name Müller). They had three sons.
. When the party was forcibly unified with the Communist Party of Germany
, he became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED).
Schenk had learnt to become a print worker and worked in the graphics industry. He later graduated from the East German College of Economics. He eventually worked as head of a printing house in Meißen.
Since 1952 he worked for the State Planning Commission of the GDR, becoming later that year a personal assistant of its new chief Bruno Leuschner, who became in the following year also a candidate member of the Politburo
and the GDR's most influential politician on economic affairs. Schenk also met SED chief Walter Ulbricht
. In 1957, the Stasi
began to suspect him of espionage
and arrested him. Having signed a declaration of co-operation with the state security bodies, he was released. He fled immediately through West Berlin
(1957), whence he moved to West Germany with the assistance of the Eastern Office of the Social Democratic Party, an institution maintaining contacts with the dissidents and fugitives from East Germany .
. In 1972 he resigned from the SPD
due to his criticism of the Ostpolitik
of Willy Brandt
.
Since 1971, Fritz Schenk worked for the ZDF
. He was the deputy of the presenter Gerhard Löwenthal
of the popular „ZDF-Magazin
“, that during the 1970s and 1980s raised controversy due to Conservative coverage of political events. In 1974/75, Schenk was a member of the conservative Bund Freies Deutschland. He was the Press spokesman of that organization. When Gerhard Löwenthal
retired in 1987, Schenk succeeded him as the editor and presenter of the „ZDF-Magazin“. The broadcast, however, was replaced in April 1988 with the new broadcast „Studio 1“. At the same time, Fritz Schenk became managing editor
of the ZDF editorial board.
He retired in early 1990s, but continued with journalistic activities, publishing numerous articles and opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines. He was often asked to hold lectures or presentations due to his experiences gathered from his career in the former German Democratic Republic
. He was since December 2004 a regular contributor and columnist
to the conservative weekly Junge Freiheit
. In the column „Die Woche“ ('The Week'), Fritz Schenk commented on the actual political events in Germany.
affair. When a scandal erupted in October 2003, as some regarded his speech as antisemitic, a proceeding was started over expelling Hohmann from the Christian Democratic Union
. Schenk, who had been a member of the CDU
since 1999, accompanied with his supporters, started the initiative „Critical Solidarity with Martin Hohmann“. The signatories of their appeal explained, that they regarded Homann's speech as controversial and in some parts questionable, but not as antisemitic. Hence they supported his continuing membership in the CDU and its parliamentary party. All in all, 10,200 people signed the appeal.
On 22 July 2005 Schenk resigned from his positions within the initiative, as Martin Hohmann had declared that he would take part in the 2005 parliamentary election as an independent. Thus, Schenk saw this declaration as Homann's decision to withdraw from the Christian Democratic Party.
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and television anchorman. He become well-known for the general public thanks to his participation in ZDF-Magazin
ZDF-Magazin
ZDF-Magazin was a West German television news magazine, which ran on ZDF from 1969 to 1988. It was presented by Gerhard Löwenthal. It focused on communist-ruled Eastern Europe and was particularly known for reporting on human rights abuses there...
.
Family
Schenk was born into a politically active and traditionally social democraticSocial democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
family in Helbra
Helbra
Helbra is a municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
. A number of his family members were persecuted by Nazis in the Third Reich.
His father was a hydraulic engineer
Hydraulic engineering
This article is about civil engineering. For the mechanical engineering discipline see Hydraulic machineryHydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive...
and worked for years managing a waterworks
WaterWorks
WaterWorks is a water park owned by Cedar Fair, located at the back of Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. When it debuted in 1992, it was originally named Hurricane Reef...
in Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
region, German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. When Fritz Schenk later escaped to the Federal Republic of Germany, his father was dismissed from the job and died of heart infarction on 10 November 1962 after an interrogation by the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
. Schenk later accused Communists throughout all of his life of having killed his father, whereas Nazis had just treated him in an unhuman manner
Since 1951, Fritz Schenk was married to Rosemarie (maiden name Müller). They had three sons.
Positions in the GDR
Schenk joined the German Social Democratic Party after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. When the party was forcibly unified with the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
, he became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED).
Schenk had learnt to become a print worker and worked in the graphics industry. He later graduated from the East German College of Economics. He eventually worked as head of a printing house in Meißen.
Since 1952 he worked for the State Planning Commission of the GDR, becoming later that year a personal assistant of its new chief Bruno Leuschner, who became in the following year also a candidate member of the Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
and the GDR's most influential politician on economic affairs. Schenk also met SED chief Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
. In 1957, the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
began to suspect him of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and arrested him. Having signed a declaration of co-operation with the state security bodies, he was released. He fled immediately through West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
(1957), whence he moved to West Germany with the assistance of the Eastern Office of the Social Democratic Party, an institution maintaining contacts with the dissidents and fugitives from East Germany .
Career as a journalist
In West, Fritz Schenk initially worked as a freelance journalist and author. In 1960 he re-joined the Social Democratic Party. He abstained from standing as a candidate to the parliament, after he had initially considered this option. He worked for a number of institutes that dealt with East-West issues, incl. a possible German reunificationGerman reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. In 1972 he resigned from the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
due to his criticism of the Ostpolitik
Ostpolitik
Neue Ostpolitik , or Ostpolitik for short, refers to the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republic beginning in 1969...
of Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
.
Since 1971, Fritz Schenk worked for the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. He was the deputy of the presenter Gerhard Löwenthal
Gerhard Löwenthal
Gerhard Löwenthal was a prominent German journalist, human rights activist and author. He presented the ZDF-Magazin, a news magazine of ZDF which highlighted human rights abuses in communist-ruled Eastern Europe, from 1969 to 1987...
of the popular „ZDF-Magazin
ZDF-Magazin
ZDF-Magazin was a West German television news magazine, which ran on ZDF from 1969 to 1988. It was presented by Gerhard Löwenthal. It focused on communist-ruled Eastern Europe and was particularly known for reporting on human rights abuses there...
“, that during the 1970s and 1980s raised controversy due to Conservative coverage of political events. In 1974/75, Schenk was a member of the conservative Bund Freies Deutschland. He was the Press spokesman of that organization. When Gerhard Löwenthal
Gerhard Löwenthal
Gerhard Löwenthal was a prominent German journalist, human rights activist and author. He presented the ZDF-Magazin, a news magazine of ZDF which highlighted human rights abuses in communist-ruled Eastern Europe, from 1969 to 1987...
retired in 1987, Schenk succeeded him as the editor and presenter of the „ZDF-Magazin“. The broadcast, however, was replaced in April 1988 with the new broadcast „Studio 1“. At the same time, Fritz Schenk became managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
of the ZDF editorial board.
He retired in early 1990s, but continued with journalistic activities, publishing numerous articles and opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines. He was often asked to hold lectures or presentations due to his experiences gathered from his career in the former German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. He was since December 2004 a regular contributor and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
to the conservative weekly Junge Freiheit
Junge Freiheit
The Junge Freiheit is a German weekly newspaper for politics and culture, that describes itself as liberal-conservative...
. In the column „Die Woche“ ('The Week'), Fritz Schenk commented on the actual political events in Germany.
Critical solidarity with Martin Hohmann
He attracted public attention with his activities connected with the Martin HohmannMartin Hohmann
Martin Hohmann is a German lawyer and politician without party affiliation. He was a member of the German Parliament for the centre-right Christian Democratic Union , from 1998 until 2005....
affair. When a scandal erupted in October 2003, as some regarded his speech as antisemitic, a proceeding was started over expelling Hohmann from the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union may refer to:* Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union * Christian Democratic Union...
. Schenk, who had been a member of the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
since 1999, accompanied with his supporters, started the initiative „Critical Solidarity with Martin Hohmann“. The signatories of their appeal explained, that they regarded Homann's speech as controversial and in some parts questionable, but not as antisemitic. Hence they supported his continuing membership in the CDU and its parliamentary party. All in all, 10,200 people signed the appeal.
On 22 July 2005 Schenk resigned from his positions within the initiative, as Martin Hohmann had declared that he would take part in the 2005 parliamentary election as an independent. Thus, Schenk saw this declaration as Homann's decision to withdraw from the Christian Democratic Party.
Writings
- Magie der Planwirtschaft. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln u. a. 1960
- Im Vorzimmer der Diktatur. 12 Jahre Pankow. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln u. a. 1962
- Das rote Wirtschaftswunder. Die zentrale Planwirtschaft als Machtmittel der SED-Politik. Seewald, Stuttgart-Degerloch 1969 (Zeitpolitische Schriftenreihe. Band 3. Schriftenreihe der Studiengesellschaft für Zeitprobleme e. V.)
- Anerkennung – ja oder nein? Standpunkte eines engagierten Demokraten zur Deutschlandfrage. Neue Presse, Coburg 1969
- Kommunistische Grundsatzerklärungen. 1957–1971. Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik, Köln 1972, ISBN 3-8046-8447-5
- Mein doppeltes Vaterland. Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse eines geborenen Sozialdemokraten. überarbeitete und erweiterte Neuauflage. Naumann, Würzburg 1989, ISBN 3-88567-057-7
- Der Fall Hohmann … und kein Ende. Mit dem Text des „Sondervotums“ des Bundesparteigerichts der CDU. 2., erweiterte und überarbeitete Neuauflage. Universitas, München 2005, ISBN 3-8004-1466-X
Awards
- Jakob-Kaiser-Preis (1968), Fernsehpreis des Bundesministeriums für gesamtdeutsche Fragen
