Uproar at the Grimme Online Award: winners reject the award!

Uproar at the Grimme Online Award: winners reject the award!

Last weekend, as part of the 25th Grimme Online Awards, things got quite turbulent in the former Colosseum Musical Theater in Essen. The most prominent scandal of the event revolves around the withdrawal of an honor for Judith Scheytt, a topic that had already caused a lot of discussion in advance. How Antenna Unna reported that directors Moritz Riesewieck and Hans Block did not accept their special award for the report “Eternalyou” as a sign of protest against the decision to withdraw Scheytt’s award.

Judith Scheytt, a young activist, received a special award from the Donnepp ​​Award for Critical Media in January 2023 for her work on social media. She clearly criticized the German media's one-sided reporting on the Gaza conflict. However, this honor was challenged by the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Cologne, which accused her work of “structural anti-Semitism”. Grimme boss Çiğdem Uzunoğlu described the support association's decision to withdraw the honor as "formally a mistake" and announced that the institute would be organizationally separated from the support association.

A clear protest

Moritz Riesewieck placed the prize on the lectern and expressed the wish for a thoughtful examination of the topic at hand. This move, it seems, is a strong statement against the increasing accusations that are often used to suppress critical voices. Block criticized the withdrawal as an attack on the jury's independence, and it remains exciting to see what impact this scandal will have on future awards.

From a total of 26 nominated entries, the Grimme jury selected eight additional formats that were recognized for their outstanding work. The award winners include WDR's Instagram channel "Little Monsters", which deals with mental health, and SWR's TikTok channel "Know & Grow" for funk, which debunks fitness and health myths. The offer “Stop Femicides”, which documents murders of women, and the podcast “Parliamentary Revue”, which sheds light on the work of the Bundestag, also stood out.

The broader debate

Judith Scheytt's Instagram channel brought to the public significant studies and sources that highlighted the unequal media coverage between Israeli and Palestinian perspectives. This battle over its price raises questions about freedom of expression in the media, which has recently been under pressure. There was clear support for her critical analysis within the jury that awarded Scheytt, but the pressure on the Grimme Institute due to fear of accusations of anti-Semitism led to this tragic development.

The recent developments surrounding the revocation of her award and the allegations have not discouraged Scheytt. She is currently taking part in an aid flotilla to Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance and is optimistic about this mission. The debate surrounding her extends far beyond the boundaries of a prize and is becoming increasingly explosive in the discussion about media reporting and political correctness.

The Grimme Online Award will not only remain a celebration of digital media, but will also become an arena for essential social questions. The events surrounding Judith Scheytt show that it is worth maintaining dialogue on critical topics, even if it is controversial.