A reporter between the fronts: Wehrschütz live in Hart near Graz!

A reporter between the fronts: Wehrschütz live in Hart near Graz!

What's new in the media? The time will soon come: On December 15, 2025, there will be the opportunity to experience a very special lecture in the Hart cultural hall near Graz. Long-time ORF correspondent Christian Wehrschütz will offer listeners insights into Europe's front lines. With his wealth of experience from crisis areas and political upheavals, he takes guests on an exciting journey through current geopolitical developments.

Christian Wehrschütz has not only experienced wars and accompanied revolutions, but also experienced first-hand the everyday life of a reporter between front lines. The lecture, which begins at 7 p.m., promises to shed light on numerous central questions. How can there be peace in Ukraine? Is Russia really as strong as is often assumed? And what awaits Europe in the future? The cultural hall opens its doors at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available via Ö-Ticket, the Hart bei Graz municipal office or the Hart bei Graz library. If you have any questions, you can also call 0664 8963775.

Literary insights from Wehrschütz

Wehrschütz's lecture is not his only presentation of his experiences. In his books he gives deeper insights into his life as a journalist. Under the title “ My journalistic life between Darth Vader and Virgin Mary "He describes not only his professional career, but also the personal side of his work as a Balkan correspondent and Ukraine expert. There is also a lot of background information that hardly receives any attention apart from the live reports.

His book “ Focus Ukraine " is dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis and addresses the revolution on the Maidan, the Crimean crisis and various negotiations. In addition, numerous voices - politicians, military and civilians - have their say in order to convey a multi-voiced picture of the situation. Another work, " Balkan focal point ", deals with the challenges and positive developments in the region and places them in the context of EU rapprochement.

Media reporting and its challenges

The topic of Ukraine is also of crucial importance in media reporting. Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, the reporting has been repeatedly viewed critically. It was often noted that the reporting was one-sided, particularly when it came to military support for Ukraine. A study examined the quality of reporting in renowned German media and revealed that political actors had a strong influence on the content.

• 80 % der Nennungen in den untersuchten Medien waren politisch beeinflusst.
• 93 % der Artikel identifizierten Russland als den alleinigen Verursacher des Krieges.
• Es gab eine überwiegend negative Berichterstattung über den russischen Präsidenten Putin undpositive Bewertungen für den ukrainischen Präsidenten Selenskyj.

These results highlight the challenges journalists face when reporting on such complex topics. Nevertheless, the need for accurate and diversified reporting on geopolitical issues remains unbroken. Christian Wehrschütz seems to be making a valuable contribution to the discussion with his profound insights and his already published books.