Leading German media organizations are urging the German government to intervene against proposed changes to US visa regulations impacting foreign correspondents. A joint letter, released Tuesday, calls on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (both of the CDU) to publicly support their request.
The letter, signed by representatives from ARD, ZDF, ProSiebenSat.1, RTL and Deutschlandradio, appeals to the German government to diplomatically express concerns to the US administration regarding the planned visa reform for foreign journalists. The proposed changes would limit journalist visas to a duration of 240 days, with the potential for extensions of an additional 240 days.
The signatories, including Florian Hager (ARD), Stefan Raue (Deutschlandradio), Bert Habets (ProSiebenSat.1), Stephan Schmitter (RTL Deutschland) and Norbert Himmler (ZDF), emphasize that free and impartial information is a cornerstone of democratic societies. They highlight the importance of maintaining international bureaus, particularly in key locations like Washington and New York.
The letter suggests the German government could formally register a protest note through diplomatic channels in Washington, explicitly conveying their concern over the developments.
The proposal, initially put forward by the Trump administration and also impacting non-immigrant academic students and exchange visitors, is open for comments from those affected and third parties until September 29th. Globally, over 100 leading media organizations and associations already demonstrated their opposition to the proposed shortening of visa durations last week.
