The owner of The Telegraph, Politico, Bild and Business Insider — who also owns the Polish editions of Forbes and Newsweek — told journalists they should either follow his pro-Israel stance or resign.
Mathias Dopfner has defended his media group Axel Springer’s long-standing support for Israel, after journalists at Politico raised concerns over his public commentary on the Middle East.
Speaking in an internal meeting with staff, Dopfner said employees who disagree with the company’s core principles — known internally as “the essentials” — may be better suited to work elsewhere.
“Nobody should work for Axel Springer despite the essentials or in disagreement with one of the essentials,” he said, according to audio obtained by the Jewish Insider.
“If the essentials are not attractive, if the essentials are not a magnet, if the essentials are not a reason why to work for this company, I can only recommend working for other companies,” he added.
The remarks came during a 40-minute meeting with Politico employees following complaints from journalists over opinion articles Dopfner had written. Staff is said to have argued that his views risked undermining the outlet’s editorial neutrality.
