GERMANY: Mr Gerhard Schröder's scalp became an unlikely battleground for German press freedom yesterday after a court banned a news agency from repeating allegations that the German Chancellor dyes his hair, writes Derek Scally, in Berlin
The Germany news agency DDP vowed to take the legal wrangle over the Chancellor's brown crop to Germany's highest court, calling yesterday's ruling a gag on free expression.
"We're confident that this next appeal will be successful, otherwise the case could have implications for media freedom in Germany," said Mr Bernd von Jutrczenka, DDP editor-in-chief.
The court ruled that DDP violated Mr Schröder's personal rights and should have checked its facts before running an article in January in which an image consultant said Mr Schröder "would be more convincing if he didn't dye his greying temples". The agency retracted the story but Mr Schröder went to court to prevent the allegation being repeated.
His current and former hairdressers said in sworn affidavits Mr Schröder was naturally brown.
DDP said they didn't dispute Mr Schröder's natural hair colour, but defended their right to publish "the opinions of a third person with a lightly ironic undertone".
What started as an obscure wire report has become an embarrassment for the chancellor.Yesterday a hair tonic company poked fun in half-page newspaper advertisements showing Mr Schröder with a shock of red hair under the tagline: "Man, don't get annoyed: the main thing is to have a full head of hair, Gerhard!"
Mr Schroeder's image took a further knock on Thursday when he appeared in caricature on the cover of Stern, naked but for a fig leaf and a scowl. Mr Schröder was said to be outraged after the news magazine depicted him on its cover as the fairytale emperor with no clothes on, naked but for a red-green figleaf and a grimace.
A survey for the magazine showed the Social Democrats with just 32 per cent popular support. Stern said voters realised that Mr Schröder was "the emperor with no clothes, with nothing to offer them".