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.

KEYWORDS:

• Catholic journalism
• communication history
• denominational press
• journalistic field
• Pierre Bourdieu
• Third Reich
• Walter Hagemann

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Archive of Humboldt University (Berlin), Archive of Liberalism (Gummersbach), Archive of Münster University, Federal Archive (Berlin), Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records of the Former GDR (Berlin), Secret State Archives Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Berlin), Regional Archive of North-Rhine Westphalia (Düsseldorf, Münster), Archive of the Christian Democratic Union (St. Augustin), and Private Archive Horst Hagemann.

2. The accusation against Walter Hagemann originated in the course of the disciplinary proceedings at the Regional Administrative Court Münster in 1959.

3. In 1945, Walter Hagemann wrote a letter to the Rector of Münster University, Georg Schreiber, giving further explanations about his curriculum.

4. The hearing of Walter Hagemann in 1961 originated in the context of the criminal proceedings against his person, which were re-instigated after his move to the GDR in East Berlin.

5. In the context of the disciplinary proceedings against his person in 1959, Walter Hagemann informed about his biography with a document titled Personal Remarks.

6. Inter alia Erich Welter (business editor, Frankfurter Zeitung), Edgar Stern-Rubarth (chief editor, Wollfsches Telegraphenbüro), Heinrich Krone and Georg Schreiber (both deputies of the German Centre Party in the Reichstag), Ernst Lemmer (deputy of the German Democratic Party in the Reichstag), Otto Lenz (press officer in the Prussian Ministry of Justice and member of the German Centre Party), Hans Peter (deputy of the German Centre Party in the Prussian Land Parliament), Ignaz Seipel (Austrian Federal Chancellor and chairman of the Christian Social Party), Luigi Sturzo (joint founder of Italy's Partito Populare Italiano), Edvard Beneš (Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia), André d'Ormesson (French diplomat), Jacob Gould Schurman (US Ambassador to Germany), and Vernon Bartlett (British press attaché at the League of Nations; cf. Hearing of Walter Hagemann 1961).

7. In the context of his appointment as a professor of imperialism at East Berlin's Humboldt University, Hagemann wrote another curriculum vitae in 1961 (Hagemann 1961).

8. In the context of his appointment as an extraordinary professor of Publizistikwissenschaft in 1948, Walter Hagemann wrote several letters to the Rector of Münster University, Emil Lehnartz, giving detailed information about his professional situation during the Third Reich.

9. Hermann Rebensburg was one of Walter Hagemann's advocates in the context of the disciplinary proceedings’ appeal at the Higher Administrative Court North-Rhine Westphalia in 1961.

10. In particular Reinhold Schneider, Theodor Haecker, Eduard Spranger, Ludwig Winterswyl, Franz Schnabel, and Gertrud von le Fort.

11. Walter Hagemann's record on the part of the GDR's Ministry for State Security also contained information about his position in Nazi Germany.

12. Karl Peters and Reinhold Bruens were Walter Hagemann's advocates in the context of the disciplinary proceedings against his person. In 1961, they wrote a letter to the Regional Administrative Court Münster giving extended information about Hagemann's professional situation during the Third Reich.

13. The hearing of Walter Hagemann in 1959 originated in the context of the disciplinary proceedings against his person. A protocol's copy was sent to the Liberal Democratic Party's chairman, Thomas Dehler, who became Hagemann's advocate in 1960, too.

14. See Note 7.

15. Johann Baptist Gradl was a former Germania editor. In post-war Germany, he became a member of the Christian Democratic Union's Federal Executive Committee.

16. Emil Dovifat made these statements in two letters to Henk Prakke, Hagemann's successor at Münster University, and Otto B. Roegele, professor of Zeitungswissenschaft at Munich University.