German Mass Media

The mass media in Germany take advantage of the guarantee of freedom of the press under Article 5 of the Basic Law (constitution). They do not face any censorship. The federal government's involvement with the mass media is restricted to the Press and Information Office, which serves as a liaison between government, particularly the chancellor, and almost 1,200 accredited journalists. Some of these journalists are affiliated with Germany's largest press agency, Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

On average, Germans listen to radio for 3.5 hours, watch television for three hours, and read a newspaper for 36 minutes each day. In 2002 daily newspaper circulation was 23.2 million copies. The newspaper with the largest circulation is Bild, a tabloid.

The most influential broadsheets are the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau, Handelsblatt, and the weekly Die Zeit. Two popular news magazines are Der Spiegel and Focus. Glossy magazines include Stern and Bunte.

The two main television stations are ARD and ZDF. Public television and radio are financed by fees, while their private counterparts depend on advertising for revenue.