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East-Focused OAZ Launches With Provocative Debut as Editorial Direction Faces Early Scrutiny

The weekly paper pitches itself as a national platform for eastern perspectives.

Overview

  • The Ostdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung published its first 56-page print edition on Friday with a run of about 43,000 copies, priced at €3.90, with a €12-per-month digital offer.
  • The publisher Holger Friedrich frames the project as a lead medium for East Germany that counters stigmatization and advances perspective‑plurality.
  • Content in the debut includes an interview with EU‑sanctioned Swiss ex‑officer Jacques Baud, a long profile of AfD co‑leader Tino Chrupalla, and a Q&A with Saxony’s Minister‑President Michael Kretschmer.
  • Dorian Baganz serves as editor‑in‑chief and plans a decentralized newsroom across eastern cities, growing from roughly 25 journalists to about 50, according to management.
  • Early reviews question the paper’s framing and rigor, with t‑online’s Volker Lilienthal criticizing the headline theme, the Baud interview packaging, and a sympathetic presentation of Chrupalla, while scrutiny also focuses on the hire of ex‑RT Deutsch journalist Florian Warweg as parliamentary correspondent.