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Julian Reichelt, the editor-in-chief of Germany’s top-selling Bild newspaper, has stepped aside temporarily while the organisation investigates allegations of possible compliance violations, said publisher Axel Springer on Saturday.
The Spiegel weekly magazine first reported about an investigation into Reichelt’s conduct earlier this week. It said several female employees had made accusations against the editor, including the abuse of power, coercion and bullying.
Axel Springer said Reichelt rejected the accusations, but had asked to be released temporarily from his position while the compliance investigation is under way. Springer said it has also called in external experts.
“An open-ended investigation is being conducted in all directions and the credibility and integrity of all those involved is being assessed,” said the publisher in a statement.
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“So far, there is no such evidence. Making pre-judgments on the basis of rumours is unthinkable in Axel Springer’s corporate culture.”
Springer said Alexandra Wuerzbach, editor-in-chief of the newspaper’s Sunday edition, would take over editorial management for the time being.
Digital edition chief
Reichelt, previously head of the paper’s digital edition, took over as editor-in-chief in 2018 after winning a power struggle with Tanit Koch, who said back then that her working relationship with Reichelt had broken down.
Springer agreed in 2019 to a takeover by US private equity house KKR, hoping the move would give it greater freedom to build its digital portfolio and look for acquisitions away from the eye of sceptical equity markets.
Axel Springer AG was founded in 1946 by journalist Axel Springer and is now one of the largest publishing companies in Europe, also owning financial news website Business Insider.
Friede Springer, Axel Springer’s widow, designated chief executive Mathias Doepfner as her successor last year when she gifted, sold and transferred the right to vote her stake in the business to him. – Reuters