The Tagesschau is credited with keeping a sober, informative format since 1960. As a rule, its newsreaders read the reports from a teleprompter. The journalist Willi Winkler described the news as delivered “im amtsmännischen Ton der reinen Sachlichkeit,” in an official’s tone of pure objectivity. When the program turned 70 in December 2022, its editor-in-chief, Marcus Bornheim, named what it values most. “Der größte Wert, den wir haben, ist unsere Glaubwürdigkeit.” The greatest asset we have is our credibility.
What Decides Is on the Pitch
Grau is’ im Leben alle Theorie – aber entscheidend is’ auf’m Platz. All theory in life is gray, but what decides is on the pitch. The saying is credited to Adi Preißler, who won the German championship with Borussia Dortmund in 1956 and 1957. Its first half echoes Goethe’s Faust: Grau, teurer Freund, ist alle Theorie. The second half, entscheidend is auf’m Platz, is in everyday use. It means that talk and plans count for little until the performance shows what they are worth.
The Corrected CV
In June 2021, the Greens’ candidate for chancellor, Annalena Baerbock, had to correct her CV on her website. The heading Mitgliedschaften, memberships, became Beiräte, (Förder-)Mitgliedschaften, regelmäßige Unterstützung, advisory boards, supporting memberships and regular support. “Ich habe da offensichtlich einen Fehler gemacht und das tut mir sehr, sehr leid,” she said. I obviously made a mistake there, and I am very, very sorry. The taz noted that her party’s poll numbers were falling again. It named two likely causes, the late reporting of special payments from her party and the inaccurate details in her CV.
Words for the Self-Promoter
der Selbstdarsteller
a person whose actions serve to present himself
der Angeber
a show-off
Mehr Schein als Sein.
More appearance than substance.
Wer schreit, hat Unrecht.
Whoever shouts is wrong.
The words do not always win. In 2003 the Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted someone who said: “Ich bin kein Selbstdarsteller, aber leider kommt es darauf mehr an, als ich gedacht habe.” I am not a self-promoter, but unfortunately that matters more than I thought.
Self-Praise Does Not Stink
Eigenlob stinkt, self-praise stinks, is a common German proverb. In November 2012 the IT magazine Computerwoche ran a career article under the opposite title, Eigenlob stinkt nicht. Its subtitle said that only those who draw attention to their performance get ahead at work. “Fachwissen ist wichtig, aber wer heute beruflich weiterkommen will, muss auf sich aufmerksam machen.” Specialist knowledge is important, but anyone who wants to get ahead today must draw attention to himself.
The title only works because every reader knows the proverb.
Misusing a Title Is a Crime
Section 132a of the German Criminal Code makes it a crime to use official titles, academic degrees, titles or public honors without authorization, whether German or foreign. The penalty is up to one year in prison or a fine. The same section also protects certain professional titles, and official uniforms and insignia. A Dr. used without a doctorate is therefore a matter for the public prosecutor.
A False Doctor’s Title on the ID Card
For years, a man used the title Dr. without having properly earned a doctorate in Germany or abroad. He had it entered on his identity card. He used it in contracts with his employer and in e-mails. A court in Frankfurt fined him 100 daily rates of 80 euros, 8,000 euros in total, for misusing a title. The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt upheld the judgment. It called the offense “eine schwere Verfehlung,” a serious wrong, because it undermines trust in the authenticity of academic degrees.
Doctorates for Cash
An institute in Bergisch Gladbach, the Institut für Wissenschaftsberatung, arranged doctoral supervisors for paying clients. The clients usually paid about 20,000 euros. The institute paid professors to accept them as doctoral candidates. In July 2008 the regional court of Hildesheim convicted the institute’s managing partner of bribery in 61 cases. It sentenced him to three years and six months in prison. In 2009 the Federal Court of Justice rejected his appeal. In the same year, prosecutors in Cologne investigated about 90 professors from across Germany. In 2014 Ramona Schürmann of the German Centre for Higher Education Research explained in the taz why people pay. “Der Titel dient aber als Türöffner oder Chancenverbesserer.” The title serves as a door-opener, or as a way to improve one’s chances. In medicine, it often helps a doctor get a senior physician’s post.
Who May Be Called an Engineer
In Bavaria, the title Ingenieur is protected by a law of 12 July 2016. Above all, it may be used by someone who has completed a degree of at least six semesters at a state or state-recognized German university. The degree must be in a field where mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences and technology predominate. Anyone who uses the title without the right can be fined up to 25,000 euros. The other German states have similar laws.
Rank Is Not Authorship
The German Research Foundation’s code of good scientific practice sets out who may be named as an author. An author is someone who made “einen genuinen, nachvollziehbaren Beitrag,” a genuine contribution that others can trace, to the content of the work. The explanations add a sentence aimed at the top of the hierarchy. “Eine Leitungs- oder Vorgesetztenfunktion begründet für sich allein keine Mitautorschaft.” A leading or supervisory position does not by itself justify co-authorship. Honorary authorship, where no such contribution was made, is not permitted.