Online Protest

The Weißmann Case: ORF Employees Take to the Barricades

Messages of protest from hundreds of employees are being collected on a website.(Bild: Screenshot/nichtmituns.net)

Plunged into crisis by the Weißmann case, ORF has been mired in negative headlines for weeks. Now the employees are taking to the barricades. Under the slogan “Not with us,” they are protesting against abuse of power, protection of perpetrators, and partisan interference.

“Abuse of power at ORF? #notwithus” is one of the slogans the staff is using to protest the conditions at the public broadcaster. ORF employees are also taking a stand on their social media channels against “protecting perpetrators instead of victims,” “political appointments,” and “party politics on the board of trustees.”

“Left us speechless”
“Colleagues from various departments launched this social media campaign,” explains Dieter Bornemann, chairman of the editorial advisory board. Hundreds of employees have already joined, and the campaign is set to “grow even further.” The posts are being collected on the website nichtmituns.net. “The events of the past few weeks have left us stunned. We don’t want to have to justify ourselves for scandals and abuses we had nothing to do with,” the site states as the reason for the protest.

Among many others, “ZiB 2” anchor Martin Thür is also protesting:

The protest messages from hundreds of employees are being collected on a website.(Bild: Screenshot/nichtmituns.net)

The Weißmann Affair
The crisis at ORF began in early March with the Weißmann case, followed by a weeks-long mudslinging match that is still ongoing. An ORF employee accused Director General Roland Weißmann of sexual harassment. She presented relevant chat messages to the foundation’s board members. Faced with an ultimatum, Weißmann resigned. The ORF then issued the termination notice itself. But it didn’t end there. Weißmann went on the offensive himself, denying the allegations in an interview with “Krone” and taking legal action against the employee.

The Compliance Commission’s report had previously concluded that Weißmann’s actions did not constitute sexual harassment, which led to a reprimand from the Office of Equal Treatment. Nevertheless, ORF cited inappropriate behavior and upheld the termination. Last week, “Falter” published portions of the chat messages between Weißmann and the ORF employee, according to which he repeatedly made advances that were rebuffed. He is also alleged to have sent explicit photos. The former ORF chief is threatening to sue over the publication of the chats.

Thurnher Faces a Heavy Burden
Longtime ORF presenter and manager Ingrid Thurnher initially took over on an interim basis; she was recently elected by a large majority of the Foundation Board to serve as Director General until the end of the year. Following her election, Thurnher emphasized that the behavior her predecessor, Roland Weißmann, had exhibited toward an ORF employee was “wrong and unacceptable for a leader.” She described the chats as “disturbing.” As a result, clear consequences in the form of termination were imposed. Anyone at ORF who experiences harassment is urged to come forward. “We will support them,” she assured.