Satire scandal on ORF

Sandra Schoch takes on Stermann and Grissemann

The two cabaret artists Christoph Grissemann and Dirk Stermann made fun of Bregenz Deputy Mayor Sandra Schoch's debate in the satirical program "Willkommen Österreich". The Green politician countered with an open letter. The two satirists then apologized to the politician by email.

As we all know, humor is debatable. Bregenz Green Party politician Sandra Schoch was not at all amused by what she recently saw and heard on the ORF satirical program "Willkommen Österreich".

Pronunciation as a result of a neurological voice disorder
The two cabaret artists Dirk Stermann and Christoph Grissemann made fun of Schoch's pronunciation in their well-known biting manner in the October 15 edition of the show. In a contribution to the state election, Stermann consistently spoke of "Vorahberg". This slur was explained by an interview sequence with the deputy mayor of Bregenz, in which she also repeatedly says "Vorahberg" instead of "Vorarlberg". Stermann and Grissemann subsequently interpreted this pronunciation as "weepiness", among other things.

Schoch defends herself
However, Sandra Schoch is not happy with this interpretation. In an open letter via the platform "X" (formerly Twitter), she addressed the cabaret duo directly: "My supposed pronunciation problems have nothing to do with the Bregenz dialect. They are actually the result of a neurological voice disorder known as spasmodic dysphonia of the adductor type. This disorder causes involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles and severely impairs the speech process. What looks like 'whiny' speech to you is actually an open struggle in front of the camera to be able to speak intelligibly," explains Schoch.

Speaking is an ongoing effort for people with spasmodic dysphonia, especially with certain vowel combinations and multi-syllabic words - "including the word 'Vorarlberg'", the politician clarifies.

The reaction of the two presenters Dirk Stermann and Christoph Grissemann was not long in coming. The satirists have since apologized to the Green politician by email.