Der Spiegel

A representative German weekly news magazine (the magazine's name means "mirror"). Its predecessor was Diese Boche ("This Week"), which was launched in Hannover in 1946, and it changed its title to its current one in 1947. It is published by Spiegel-Verlag in Hamburg, and its first publisher was Rudolf Augstein (1923-2002). Its circulation is the highest in Germany, surpassing its rival Stern (launched in 1948), and it is always around one million copies sold. It has a unique place in the history of German journalism after the Second World War, and has become famous for its activism for freedom of the press and its exposure of scandals, as well as its left-leaning critical stance against the government and politicians of the time. In the 1962 "Spiegel Affair," an article about the defense capabilities of NATO and West Germany triggered the arrest of an employee on suspicion of leaking state secrets. Public criticism of the illegality of the investigation was strong, and the defense minister was forced to resign. This incident solidified the reputation of the magazine, and it established its position as an opinion leader, especially among intellectuals. However, it is said that the magazine has become somewhat more centrist since the 1990s, and its influence on public opinion is not as strong as it used to be. Some point out that the background to this is the emergence of the weekly magazine Focus (founded in 1993), which aimed to be a rival to the magazine from the beginning. Although there has been much criticism of the magazine's unique writing style aimed at intellectuals, the quality of its content, which is centered on long articles, including cultural and academic topics and overseas reports from its own correspondents, is high, and its position in Germany is unlikely to be shaken anytime soon.

[Osamu Edai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツの代表的なニュース週刊誌（誌名は「鏡」の意味）。1946年ハノーバーで創刊された『ディーゼ・ボッヘ』（「今週」）が前身、1947年現誌名に改題。発行元はハンブルクのシュピーゲル・フェアラークSpiegel-Verlag、初代発行人はルードルフ・アウクシュタインRudolf Augstein（1923―2002）。販売部数は、競合誌『シュテルン』Stern（1948年創刊）を抜いてドイツ最多で、常時100万部前後の水準にある。第二次世界大戦後のドイツ・ジャーナリズム史上で独自の位置を占め、報道の自由をめぐる活動やスキャンダル暴露で名を馳(は)せ、時の政権や政治家に対して左寄りの批判的姿勢を貫いてきた。1962年の「シュピーゲル事件」では、NATO(ナトー)（北大西洋条約機構）と西ドイツの防衛力を扱った記事が発端となり、国家機密漏洩(ろうえい)の嫌疑で社員が逮捕されたが、捜査の違法性などに対する世論の批判は強く、国防相は辞任に追い込まれた。この事件が同誌の評価を決定づけ、とくにインテリ層のオピニオン・リーダー的な地位を確立する。しかし1990年代からは多少中道寄りの姿勢に変化したともいわれ、世論への影響力も以前ほどではない。背景に、当初から同誌の対抗馬を目ざした週刊誌『フォークス』Focusの出現（1993年創刊）を指摘する見方もある。インテリ向きの独特な文体には以前から批判も多いが、文化・学術面の話題や自社特派員の海外報告も含め、長文記事中心の内容は質が高く、ドイツでの地位は当分揺らぎそうにない。

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