Surviving in the Journalistic Field

Abstract

This paper explores Catholic journalist Walter Hagemann's freedom of action during the Third Reich and seeks to provide insight into the history of journalism in Germany, especially regarding its autonomy. It refers to Pierre Bourdieu's sociology, which presumes a circular and dynamic relationship between individual practice and social structures. Accordingly, Hagemann's social position in the Nazi era (his “space of possibles”) is examined by revealing the interaction of his habitus and capital as well as the structures of the journalistic field at that time. The case study shows that despite his national thinking and his search for joint views with National Socialist ideology, Hagemann did not escape the stigma of being an opponent of the regime. After a brilliant journalistic career during the Weimar Republic, he did not garner any political influence, even though he served as chief editor of the Germania, the famous Catholic daily newspaper, and edited the news service Vox Gentium. As a consequence, his national emphasis only proved useful to survive at the edge of the journalistic field. This study draws on Walter Hagemann's most important publications (among them more than 100 editorials), extensive archive material from 10 institutions, and two interviews with Hagemann's son.