Uplifting words

Heart-warming “Flower Rain” for Föderl-Schmid

Journalist Alexandra Föderl-Schmid was found alive on Friday. The relief is great.

(Bild: Eventpress Roland / dpa Picture Alliance / picturedesk.com, twitter.com/YilmazGulum, Krone KREATIV)

Top journalist Alexandra Föderl-Schmid was found alive on Friday morning after an almost 24-hour search - and many people in Austria are relieved. A solidarity campaign was launched on social media under the hashtag #flowerrain to build up the Upper Austrian with positive words.

The hashtag was initiated by ORF journalist Yilmaz Gülüm. "Post your positive messages with the hashtag so that they reach as many of the postings as possible," he asked users on X on Friday and got things started right away. Alexandra Föderl-Schmid is one of his role models.

Many people responded to the call within a very short time. Among them were many journalists, climate researcher Katharina Rogenhofer, author Julya Rabinovich and politicians such as Sandra Schoch, Vice President of the Vorarlberg State Parliament. Many less prominent people also posted get-well wishes, some of which were accompanied by pictures of flowers.

Here you can see Katharina Rogenhofer's post.

"Life can feel lonely"
"Life can sometimes feel damn lonely. But there are always people who think about you and appreciate you, who can be there for you - no matter what," wrote someone on X. "Our society needs to start a process of change and maturity in dealing with the internet in general and social media in particular. I am glad that Alexandra Föderl-Schmid will play a role in this as a relevant voice," posted author and PR consultant Sylvia Steinitz.

Advice: "Don't give hate a stage"
The hashtag was also used on Facebook. "It's unbelievable what hate speech can do. Alexandra Föderl-Schmid is probably one of the best and most competent journalists in our country," wrote one user. In some cases, recommendations for behavior are also given. "Take a firm stand against hate - digitally and in real life - and above all, stop giving hate and haters a stage," advises Patricia Otuka-Karner on X.

Journalist Alexandra Föderl-Schmid was found alive on Friday. The relief is great.

(Bild: Eventpress Roland / dpa Picture Alliance / picturedesk.com, twitter.com/YilmazGulum, Krone KREATIV)

As reported, Föderl-Schmid was found by a police officer in the Upper Austrian-Bavarian border region on Friday morning. She was severely hypothermic but responsive. The 53-year-old had previously been reported missing. She had recently been the subject of accusations, for example regarding the handling of sources in her journalistic work, but also regarding possible plagiarism in her doctoral thesis.

The Women's Network Media and the Concordia Press Club described Föderl-Schmid on Friday as an "outstanding journalist" who had been subjected to an "incomparable and unjustifiable hounding". These were "targeted attacks on quality media in order to prevent critical reporting or make it untrustworthy".

If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis hotlines and emergency numbers here.