"Krone" Commentary

ORF Scandal: It Won’t Be Forgotten

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16.06.2026 08:38

The simplest plans can be the most ingenious. The – of course unconfirmed – plan by Turquoise/Red to retain control of the public broadcaster following the ouster of ORF Director General Weißmann was also straightforward. The former major parties, which now poll at just over a third of the vote, want to continue dictating who rules at Küniglberg. They had already hammered this out—officially unconfirmed as well—during the coalition negotiations: According to the plan, the ÖVP will nominate the Director General in the ORF election scheduled for August 2026, while the SPÖ will get two directors. The wild turmoil following Weißmann’s ouster and the ensuing discussions—including those about political influence over the ORF—seemed to jeopardize the deal. So they came up with the supposedly brilliant plan to move the general election forward by two months—after which the dust from the maneuvering would quickly settle. But the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and their vassals on the board of trustees will have been mistaken.

The new ORF Director General Clemens Pig
The new ORF Director General Clemens Pig(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

This won’t be swept under the rug. 
“Dear Editorial Team, please stay on top of this. Until this undignified farce, unfolding before everyone’s eyes, has been fully investigated.” —that’s what reader Ernst Eisinger writes to us. And he asks himself, us, and all Austrians: “Just how stupid does this government think voters are? It already has the worst poll numbers, yet everything is being done to further erode trust in this government.” Here’s a little tip for the government: In the “Question of the Day” in the “Krone,” 90 percent of readers and users felt that the election of Clemens Pig was a “rigged” affair. When asked whether the rigged game in the ORF election was damaging to the government leadership, a similar number of readers answered yes. No: This won’t be swept under the rug. And we can assure you: We’ll stay on top of it.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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