Norbert Himmler has been confirmed as ZDF’s director until 2032. At the Television Council meeting, he received 48 out of 53 votes in the first round, far exceeding the required three‑fifths majority. No other candidate was put forward.
Initially seven applications met the formal criteria, yet only Himmler and journalist Floria Fee Fassihi were nominated by a council member. Fassihi withdrew her candidacy.
Before his reappointment, Himmler faced strong criticism over the recent AI scandal. NRW media minister Nathanael Liminski (CDU) said during the session, “Images that we do not have authentic originals for should not appear in the news”. He was referring to a „Heute‑Journal” issue that had shown an AI‑generated fake video of a U.S. police deployment. ZDF chief editor Bettina Schausten expressed regret that the incident provides fodder for critics, adding, “It could have been easily avoided, and that’s why it’s so frustrating. We must ensure it never happens again”.
In response, the council presented a “measure catalogue”. The plan calls for systematically and sustainably strengthening the editorial staff’s knowledge of artificial intelligence and for expanding verification skills for visual material. Outsourced content should be used only under a binding source hierarchy for broadcast. Acceptance processes will be adapted to digital challenges. Furthermore, ZDF intends to foster a “culture of error” where mistakes are transparently identified, consistently addressed, and corrected.
“Holders of publicly funded broadcasters bear a special editorial and journalistic responsibility” Himmler said. The 55‑year‑old was first elected ZDF director in 2021, having won against ARD journalist Tina Hassel in the third round. His initial term was set to end on 14 March 2027, and he has now secured a five‑year extension one year before the contract’s expiration.
