Die Staatsferne der Aufsicht des öffentlich-rechtlichen Fernsehens – de jure und de facto

Abstract

In a combination of legal dogmatics, empiricism, and comparison related to both, a dissertation has emerged that breaks new ground - in search of "truth," as science should. The central question is: What influence does politics have on public television - de jure and de facto? In order to answer this question, the internal independence of the members of the supervisory bodies at ZDF, BBC and NHK will be examined in connection with the state neutrality of the broadcasters and it will be shown for Germany where the limits and possibilities of state regulatory power lie. For this purpose, the theories of party democracy in Germany and Böckenförde's democratic ethos are examined in more detail and reform proposals are made.