Off the Record, a monthly background podcast produced by netzpolitik.org, has received a special prize at the Medienspiegel awards for transparent journalism. The award recognizes the programme’s efforts to show listeners how the newsroom works and how its reporting is produced.
The podcast is hosted by Anna Biselli, Chris Köver, Ingo Dachwitz, Sebastian Meineck and Serafin Dinges, alongside rotating guests. Its episodes cover digital-policy issues and the outlet’s own investigations, as well as editorial processes and organizational structures.
Regular segments include “Topic of the Month,” which explores a prominent issue or investigation; “From the Engine Room,” which explains internal matters such as how the work is funded; “Review,” which reflects on the newsroom’s successes and setbacks; and “Inbox,” which answers questions from listeners.
The jury said the podcast not only provides audiences with reports and features, but also explains how they were produced.
The Medienspiegel award has been presented annually since 2021 by the Initiative Tageszeitung and the Association of Media Ombudsmen. Established in 2016, the prize is not accompanied by prize money and aims to encourage media self-regulation, self-criticism and transparency.
The main award this year went to the Braunschweiger Zeitung for its reporting on TU Braunschweig and a clinic in Braunschweig. The jury praised the newspaper’s transparent account of its investigative reporting and the criticism it prompted. A further special prize went to Swiss outlet blick.ch for its transparency about the newsroom’s use of AI.
Sources: netzpolitik.org.