Prize winners warn: Democracy is in danger – resistance is necessary!

Prize winners warn: Democracy is in danger – resistance is necessary!

On October 9, 2025 the time had come again: the Catholic Media Prize was awarded for the 23rd time in the Munich Künstlerhaus. This time the excitement was particularly great because the prize is awarded for outstanding journalistic achievements in various categories, each of which sends a strong signal for the importance of media in our democracy. Loud Tachles Numerous journalists took part in the event, which is organized by the German Bishops' Conference and other media organizations such as the Society of Catholic Journalists in Germany.

The main prize in the video category went to the director and dramaturge Volker Heise for his ARD documentary “Masterplan – The Potsdam Meeting and its Consequences”. This film, which will be broadcast on Das Erste on March 24, 2025, deals with a secret meeting of right-wing extremist actors where the ideology and networks of the extreme right in Germany are illuminated. In his laudatory speech, Michel Friedman explained the dangers associated with such trends and called on society to actively defend itself against hatred and anti-Semitism. Friedman urgently warns of the threat to democracy and referred to worrying developments in countries such as Hungary and the USA.

Prize winners at a glance

In the print category, journalists Dominik Stawski and Nico Schnurr were honored for their moving report “Station 67,” which was published in Stern magazine on June 6, 2024. The article shows the alarming reality of a children's intensive care unit in Hanover that suffers from an acute shortage of staff.

Nadine Thielen received the prize in the audio category for her podcast “In the Stefanie case – One of 155”. In this podcast, which was heard on March 6, 2025 in the ARD audio library, the crime against Stefanie, who was killed by her husband in 2023, is discussed. A dark story that encourages reflection on violence against women.

The jury's special prize went to Sascha Gröhl for the documentary series “Autumn Residence with Tim Mälzer and André Dietz”. The series sheds light on the lives of seniors and people with disabilities in a retirement center and is dedicated to the challenges that growing older brings with it. The series was broadcast for the first time on March 5, 2025 on VOX.

A symbol for journalism

Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Auxiliary Bishop Matthäus Karrer presented the prizes and acknowledged the important role of journalism in our society. Karrer emphasized how important independent, critical journalism is, especially in times of social upheaval. This attitude is also reflected in the comprehensive study “Journalism and Democracy”, which was carried out by a research team at TU Dortmund University. Loud TU Dortmund The study shows that AfD sympathizers in particular express greater dissatisfaction with democracy and increased mistrust of the media, which illustrates the gap in society's perception of journalism.

The award ceremony was not only a highlight for the award-winning journalists, but also an urgent appeal to everyone to work for the future shape of our democracy and media freedom. At a time when the media landscape is facing major challenges, it has once again become clear: critical and committed journalism is essential for a vibrant democratic society.