Conversation

"Why submit to the truth when lies are more effective?" With this sentence, journalist Stefan Kornelius described the general crisis situation in the Süddeutsche Zeitung a few days after the US elections in November 2024. Under the dictates of populist narratives, the space of social debate has become a zone of uncertainty. What is true, what is clearly fake?

It is still the task of journalism to separate true from false information. But what happens when journalism itself enters the realm of fiction in its search for new social communication channels? More precisely: into the fictional sphere of the theater?

The Correctiv research network is one of the most prominent examples of journalistic initiatives that have repeatedly sought collaboration with theater makers in recent years. A new format has emerged from this: investigative theater.

But what are the consequences when a medium of fact and a medium of fiction cooperate? What effect can investigative theater have? And when does journalism become a spectacle or the spectacle become a fact hoax? We talk about this with Correctiv co-founder David Schraven, theater maker Christiane Mudra and media lawyer Dennis Amour.

In cooperation with the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich

With: David Schraven (journalist & founder of Correctiv), Dennis Amour (media lawyer & managing director of the Bavarian Journalists' Association) and Christiane Mudra (director & theater maker)

Moderation: Dorte Lena Eilers (Professor of Cultural Journalism, Munich University of Music and Performing Arts)