Thilo Mischke after the shitstorm: Journalist takes issue with ARD after shitstorm

Thilo Mischke (43) has commented on the allegations for the first time since the shitstorm surrounding his planned moderation of "ttt - Titles, Theses, Temperaments" and has attacked the ARD.

The reaction comes with a considerable delay: Mischke was hit by a storm of criticism more than eight weeks ago. In an interview with "Zeit", he explained that he needed time to deal with the criticism in depth: "That was hardly possible in the wake of the outrage and the multitude of accusations."

"Legs torn away"

When asked about his book "Around the World in 80 Women" from 2010, he said: "The protagonist and his ideas are sexist and racist. The conclusion is that I, as an author, am also sexist and racist." Mischke continued that he thinks the discussions about it are justified. But what "blew his mind" was that the debate about whether he should be allowed to host a cultural program was held without him.

Mischke particularly blames the ARD in the conversation. Mischke said that he had pointed out in advance what problems the controversial book could cause. As far as he knows, none of those responsible had read the book or spoken to the publisher. "Nobody was interested," says Mischke. At first, the cultural leaders were all behind him. "But then things changed."

Mischke also reports on an alleged conversation with the ARD editor-in-chief, who is said to have asked him in the wake of the sexism accusations "whether anything could come out of it." Mischke: "I'm pretty sure he meant whether it could come out that I raped someone. I've never experienced anything so unprofessional. It also shows how little senior staff at ARD have dealt with the issue." ARD denied the editor-in-chief's alleged statement when asked by "Zeit."

A few days before Christmas 2024, it was announced that Mischke would succeed Max Moor (66) at the traditional culture magazine from February 2025. The announcement was met with fierce criticism. The reporter and author is accused, among other things, of failing to distance himself from his works "Around the World in 80 Women" from 2010 and "The Woman for Life Doesn't Need a Big Breast" from 2013.

Sexist statements and problematic views

Among other things, the podcast "Feminist Shelf Control" dealt with quotes from the books and criticized sexist, racist and homophobic statements. Mischke's statements in a 2019 podcast entitled "Feminism = First World Problem?" on the subject of male sexuality also caused incomprehension. Among other things, Mischke put forward the thesis that male sexuality is based on rape.

In an open letter to the ARD program directorate, which the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper published on January 2nd , 100 cultural workers joined in the criticism of Mischke. On January 4th, the ARD announced that Mischke would not be appointed as the moderator of the cultural program after all.

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