Overview
- The 73rd Bundespresseball, held Friday at Berlin’s Hotel Adlon, drew more than 2,000 guests under the motto “For democracy. Strengthen press freedom,” in an event organized by the Bundespressekonferenz, a club of Berlin-based political reporters.
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, opened the dance for the last time in office, and he voiced concern about the harsh, unforgiving tone he sees on social media.
- Bundespressekonferenz chair Mathis Feldhoff said democracies are under strain, and New York Times correspondent Melissa Eddy pointed to attacks on journalists in the United States along with recent court rulings that defended press rights.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz skipped the gala for Paris talks on a possible military mission after the Iran war, a scheduling choice that showed how global security issues can overtake set-piece political rituals.
- Actress Uschi Glas canceled a planned opening address due to illness, while red-carpet arrivals and table placements signaled the ball’s role as a high-profile meeting point for media, politics, business and culture.