The big interview
Where have you been for so long, Mr. Thür?
Seven and a half months ago he disappeared from the screen, now Martin Thür (43) is back on ORF. The ZiB presenter talks to Conny Bischofberger about withdrawal symptoms, quarrels with the FPÖ, hoods with Erwin Pröll's wreath of hair and his carpentry workshop in the Waldviertel.
The aroma of avocado, salmon and fresh bagels wafts through the "Waldemar Tagesbar" on Altgasse in Hietzing. "I like to read the newspapers here before I go to the Küniglberg," says Thür, "and they also serve really good coffee." The cappuccino is in a large cup in front of him, behind him on the white wall a neon sign sparkles with the message "Life on Mars!" Thür is wearing jeans, a light blue shirt, dark blue jacket, three-day beard and Apple Watch.
"Krone": This Sunday, you'll be presenting ZiB 2 for the first time since February. Where have you been for so long?
Martin Thür: Not there!(laughs) I took a break for personal reasons. That's a bit unsatisfactory, of course, especially for a journalist who wants to know everything in detail. I understand, I would feel the same way.
What would you say to a politician who gave such an answer?
I think it's very important that we respect the private lives of politicians and other public figures. Unless it's something that could affect their job. So if I were to receive money from a company and then report well on that company, then of course that would be something that the media could and should report on. But I don't think my private life is of public interest.
Anyone else in your position would probably tell you what it was like to look after a newborn and how the role of father changed him. Why don't you want to do that?
Because I don't want to be a role model. My job is to look, ask questions, do research. I don't want to slip into a role where I tell other people how they should live their lives. Nobody needs advice from me.
When did you make this decision?
It was a long process. Things have happened in recent years that have made me realize that I need to be more careful. That there are people around me who could be harmed by my job. And I try to protect these people in the knowledge that there are unfortunately people who are not always up to no good, who express criticism in a way that I don't like. I have taken my responsibility seriously.
Things have happened in recent years that have made me realize that I need to be more careful. That people around me can be harmed by my job.
Martin Thür erklärt, warum er sein Privatleben schützt
Were these people threatened, did something happen to them?
No, nothing happened to them. But I don't want it to get that far in the first place.
Did you have withdrawal symptoms?
Absolutely. Journalism is a job that you can only do with your heart and soul, you don't just give it up. That's why I started doing research on the side, and I already have a few stories in the pipeline again.
Did you watch ZiB every day?
Not every day, I'll be honest. But of course I kept myself up to date. Especially with Ö1 journals, radio is easy to integrate into everyday life. Motto: A journalist is always a journalist, even at home and on vacation.
What event did it hurt to have missed?
While I was away, the Freedom of Information Act came into force. An issue that was very important to me. I also made the first requests while I was away. And a new government was sworn in. Of course, it would have been great to have the new ministers in the inaugural interview. But I'm sure we'll have them all in the studio again and I'll get my chance to interview them.
What did you miss most?
Going on the hunt for stories. "Uncovering" is such a big word. But when you discover something that wasn't previously known, that's a really nice feeling and I've actually missed that. What I didn't miss was all the excitement surrounding a ZIB 2 interview. A lot of viewer emails come in after every show. A lot of praise, but also a lot of criticism. And I always take the time to answer them. It's a lot of work and having a break from it has done me good.
How did you use the break?
For example, I worked on a very extensive list. I collect election gifts and am now digitizing them all. There are several thousand of them in total.
Which is the most bizarre gift?
To this day, I think the hood that former Lower Austrian governor Erwin Pröll gave out is one of the craziest election campaign ideas. It had his hair in it, so everyone who put it on looked like Erwin Pröll.
During my time off, I worked on a very elaborate list. I collect election gifts and am now digitizing them all. There are several thousand of them.
Der ZiB-Moderator ist bekannt für seine Excel-Leidenschaft
Stefan Lenglinger stood in for you in your absence. What did you think of him?
He did a great job, fantastic!
Are you sorry that he's now being banished to midday and evening again?
Well. (Thür raises his eyebrows) You don't get banished if you're allowed to present ZiB-Talk and do lots of interviews. Thank goodness Stefan is staying with us.
Will more viewers now be happy that you're back, or the opposite?
I don't think you should take yourself so seriously. Our job is a service and should help people to better understand political processes. I'm happy when viewers enjoy watching me. But ZiB 2 will continue to be broadcast in high quality even if I no longer present it.
Have there beenany emails or letters saying that you are missed?
Yes, there have been, and of course that makes you happy.
One party won't be happy, and that's the FPÖ. Kickl accused you of "unclean journalism" in the 2024 summer interview, Vilimsky spoke of "unbelievable propaganda". Do such accusations shake you?
First of all, I would like to point out that it is not just one party that criticizes my work. It is a relatively normal occurrence that parties are not necessarily happy when they are criticized. I remember interviews with former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who wasn't exactly happy about my questions either.
Doesn't "unclean journalism" apply to you?
No. Firstly, because it is part of the political strategy to portray yourself as an opponent of journalists and, secondly, because I can prove that everything I said in the 2024 summer talk was properly researched and verifiable. But in the end, it's up to the audience to judge. The audience has to decide whether they trust my work, whether they find my questions interesting and whether the answers sound plausible.
If viewers find that the FPÖ is asked more critical questions than the SPÖ or ÖVP, what do you say to that?
I would refer to interviews with other party leaders where their supporters have complained about the same thing. Some find it too critical, others too friendly.
The loss of trust in traditional media is enormous. What is happening right now?
We are not only experiencing a loss of trust in the media, but in elites in general, in fact in all the institutions that make up our democracy. Politics also has very poor trust ratings at the moment. I am sure that we cannot solve this so easily. We will only regain this trust by proving day after day, hour after hour, that we take our work seriously, that we are all doing our job as well as possible. "That's bad, that's good" sounds great, of course. But good journalism shows how complex things are and how difficult problems are to solve. It also confronts its audience with facts that they may not like to hear, that may contradict their own world view. But that is so important in a democracy! The world is never black and white.
Unlike other colleagues, such as Armin Wolf, you didn't leave Platform X to join Bluesky in protest against Elon Musk. Why not?
On X, you now practically only get opinions. But for my job, I mainly need background information, facts and analysis. In this respect, X has actually lost a lot of its value for journalists. But I'm not someone who demonstratively unsubscribes from platforms. That shouldn't hide the fact that this platform has become very problematic.
Is Armin Wolf a role model for you?
I'm a little cautious with the word "role model". Armin is a great colleague whose interviews I really enjoy watching. The same goes for all my other colleagues at ZiB. We like each other and appreciate each other's work.
Since the Schilling case, your name has been known to everyone in the country. Is that a curse or a blessing for a journalist?
Well, I didn't wish for that. It was important for me to deal with it cleanly and transparently.
Before the "Summer Talks 2024", the MEP claimed that she had had an affair with you. What did that do to you?
I honestly had to laugh at first because it was simply absurd. Then, of course, it was clear that it would be a topic in the summer talks. That's why I had a lawyer set the record straight: I don't know the lady. That was the end of it.
Was there ever a discussion between you, digitally or in person?
I still don't know the lady.
Could you still do an interview with Lena Schilling?
It's not a question of ability. I wouldn't want to because I wouldn't be able to ask my questions in the eyes of the viewers without being influenced. Conversely, I wouldn't interview anyone I'm personally friends with either.
But then many journalists would no longer be able to interview many politicians.
Personally, I don't think you should be friends with politicians. And if you are, then you have to disclose such intransparencies.
So you are not friends with any politicians?
No.
On your website under "Who I am" it says: "I make television, I ask questions, I look for answers, sometimes I sue the state."Why do you sue the state, please?
Because there is information in this country that the state is keeping secret. One case in which we sued the state was the continued payment of politicians' salaries. We went all the way to the Constitutional Court and got it right.
We?
The ORF and me. I also see it as the ORF's job to bring about such fundamental decisions, because it's not just us journalists who benefit from them, but the public as a whole.
You will be presenting your book "Power and Control" next week. At the beginning it says: "For Frieda". Who is Frieda?
I would also like to keep that private.
Power and control are big words. How much power do you have as a journalist at ORF and how much control can you exercise?
Someone who presents ZIB 2 has both power and responsibility. Responsibility to ensure that the facts they present "on air" are correct and verified to the best of their knowledge and belief. Sometimes mistakes happen to us too, and we only get closer to the truth over time. But we have to try to get as close to the truth as possible every evening. And take all sides into account in our research. That's what sets us apart from the so-called alternative media. Our job is not to make opinions. Our job is to enable people to form an informed opinion. That's why it's important that we also subject ourselves to scrutiny. Journalistic control, self-regulation, the relevant authorities, media law.
Were you annoyed that plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber recently tore your master's thesis to shreds?
If the worst thing Mr. Weber finds in my master's thesis is a few commas and spelling mistakes, then that's embarrassing. I'm not happy about it, but there really are far worse things.
The FPÖ raged because "former minister Aschbacher's mistakes" had been widely reported and yours hadn't.
As far as I know, it was about plagiarism, in my case spelling mistakes. I would dispute that this has the same significance, but everyone can form their own opinion.
Is it true that you are known internally at ORF as the "Excel God"?
Laughs. - I don't know. But it's true that colleagues who have questions about Excel or numbers like to come to me. I now keep several dozen Excel spreadsheets.
I'll never forget how you uncovered the SPÖ's election debacle. Are you the reason why we now have Babler as head of the SPÖ and not Hans Peter Doskozil?
The reason is the SPÖ delegates who voted for him by a majority.
In the second ballot, after you did the math and discovered the mistake. And then the result was also entered incorrectly in an Excel list.
I think this example shows quite well how journalism should work in my opinion. Check, re-check, double-check. Sometimes they don't even check! So you shouldn't believe everything that parties and politicians say. Instead, you should check for yourself, do the math, ask questions, have everything explained to you.
Did Babler ever thank you?
No, I was just doing my job. Hans-Peter Doskozil didn't complain to me either.
Where does this urge to count and list everything come from? Was there anything in your childhood that suggested this?
I was very curious as a child and never just accepted things, I always asked questions. I think it's really just the urge to want to understand things.
You've now won awards, from the "Romy" to the "Concordia Prize" to "Journalist of the Year". Do these awards mean anything to you?
Something like that tickles the ego and makes you happy, of course. But at the end of the day, we can only do what we do as long as people consume us and as long as people trust our work. That's the much more important reward for our work.
Do you imagine your audience from time to time?
Sometimes you sit at a table privately with people who combine green positions with a very anti-foreigner position or people who say they are very conservative economically but totally socially open. People are totally diverse, people have very different political attitudes, which is really fascinating. That's also how I imagine the audience. You wouldn't think that 35 percent of the audience would be FPÖ supporters, 21 percent ÖVP supporters and 19 percent SPÖ supporters. The parties like to exaggerate issues, but the reality is much broader and much wider.
From regional television to ORF
Born on July 25, 1982 in St. Pölten, one older sister. Studied journalism and theater studies, master's degree in political communication at the Danube University Krems with Prof. Peter Filzmaier. Journalistic positions at regional television, ATV and Addendum. Martin Thür has hosted "ZiB2" on Sundays since 2019. In 2024, the award-winning journalist held the Theodor Herzl Lectureship for the Poetics of Journalism, which resulted in his book "Macht und Kontrolle" (Picus-Verlag, € 23). In his private life, Thür is in a relationship with a journalist and enjoys jogging.
ORF has recently let many stars go, including Christa Kummer just two weeks ago. Are you glad that this hasn't affected you yet as a "late-born"
Thanks.(laughs) My gray hair says otherwise.
Do older employees, especially women, have a harder time at ORF?
I hope not. It's not my perception. Martina Rupp, for example, posted yesterday that she retired from ORF and that this didn't happen to her. But I don't want to belittle the experiences of others.
Many people write to us: "We pay fees and we want Christa Kummer back!"
It's great when Christa Kummer has such a great fan base! I'm a big fan too, she's a great colleague.
What would you like to be in your next life?
I'm afraid I'd be too untalented. But I would love to be a carpenter.
How come?
I love working with wood because it's a living material that works, stretches and deforms. I've spent the last seven and a half months setting up a carpentry workshop in the Waldviertel. My grandmother lives there, as do a lot of gnarled, lovely people. The Waldviertel is my place of strength.
I'm afraid I'm not talented enough, but in my next life I'd love to be a carpenter. I love working with wood.
Thür hat im Waldviertel eine Tischlerwerkstatt
What are you carpentering up there?
That's not very sexy. But most recently a router table. And lots of other little things for the apartment. It just feels good to close the door behind you and only have the smell of planed wood in your nose. The nice thing about carpentry is that it's a bit like solving puzzles. You make mistakes all the time, especially if you're as untalented as I am, but you can fix them and the thing still stands up straight and looks pretty good.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.