Journalistinnenbund

The Journalistinnenbund e. V. (JB) is a nationwide, profession-oriented and generation-spanning network for women who work full-time in journalism in Germany. It is registered as a non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) with its seat in Cologne, and it describes itself as feminist, diverse and engaged — a network for women in the media. Membership is open to women working across all areas of the media, and the association combines professional networking with a clear women's-policy and gender-equality agenda as well as a commitment to quality journalism. The organisation was founded on 31 October 1987 in Frankfurt am Main. Its founding impulse came from an open letter by the journalist Gisela Brackert, then an editor at Hessischer Rundfunk, who asked why media-policy debate took place only among men, why the career prospects of women journalists were never a topic of professional associations, and why women journalists had no mouthpiece of their own. The association has since grown into a multi-generational network with regional groups, an annual conference, working groups and a mentoring programme. Among its best-known activities are the annual media prizes for women journalists: the Hedwig-Dohm-Urkunde for lifetime achievement, the Marlies-Hesse-Nachwuchspreis for young talent, and the Courage-Preis for current reporting. Since 2022 a Hedwig-Dohm research stipend has also been awarded. The JB runs the genderleicht.de website (since 2019) advising media and the public on gender-equitable language, and it has addressed the avoidance of stereotypical portrayals of women in journalism since 2022. It is a member of the Deutscher Frauenrat (since December 1990), was among the first signatories of the Berliner Erklärung in 2011, and has supported the Pro Quote Medien initiative since its founding in 2012. The association's work has ranged across media policy, gender-sensitive language, media observation, mentoring, the Medienlabor discussion series (since 2013) and the Brave project supporting women journalists in the Arab world (from 2012). It was a project partner of the Global Media Monitoring Project from 1995 to 2015. Its chairs have included Gisela Brackert, Inge von Bönninghausen, Ulrike Helwerth, Eva Kohlrusch, Andrea Ernst, Rebecca Beerheide, Friederike Sittler and, from 2025, Sissi Pitzer.

The Journalistinnenbund e. V. was founded on 31 October 1987 in Frankfurt am Main. Its immediate trigger was an open letter written that year by the journalist Gisela Brackert, an editor at Hessischer Rundfunk, in which she asked her colleagues three pointed questions: whether they too had noticed that media-policy discussion took place only among men; that the career prospects of women journalists were never a topic of their professional associations; and that women journalists were happy to act as a mouthpiece for the initiatives of the Ärztinnenbund, Juristinnenbund, women in science and technology and academic women, but had no mouthpiece of their own for their interests or their view of things. The association that grew out of this letter was founded by women journalists interested in women's politics and active in media companies and electronic media. From the outset the JB combined professional networking with a women's-policy agenda. As early as 1988 it campaigned for stronger representation of women in leadership positions in the German media. In 1990 it called for the creation of a German-German media council with equal participation of women, and in 1991 it took a position on political events such as the Gulf War. It repeatedly protested against attempts to cut or close existing women's-policy broadcasts in public broadcasting or equivalent desks in newspapers. In December 1990 it became a member of the Deutscher Frauenrat. Over the decades the association worked through changing thematic priorities, forming working groups on topics such as gender, gender-sensitive language in journalism, media observation, mentoring, the Medienlabor and Brave, a project supporting women journalists in the Arab world. Members meet in regional groups, and a regular annual conference is devoted to a current journalistic, women's-policy or media topic. The association has produced training materials and guidance on media-policy and journalistic issues, including a 'Medienkoffer' and materials on gender-equitable writing in journalism and public relations. A mentoring programme has existed since 2001. Started initially as an 'Old Girl's Network', it supports women journalists at the beginning of their careers and is one of the first programmes of its kind in Germany; experienced journalists from print, radio, television and online media pass on their experience over roughly a year, supervised by an internal working group of former mentors and mentees. From 1995 to 2015 the JB was a project partner of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), the worldwide media observation conducted every five years on how often women appear in the news and in what function and role they are portrayed; the observation continues, but the JB did not take part from 2020 onwards. In 2008 the Watch-Salon was launched, a blog in which members presented their view of society, media and women's rights; it was ended by those involved on 26 May 2021 so they could devote themselves to other journalistic topics in the association. In 2012 the Brave project began, making the voices of women journalists from countries of the Arab Spring heard, centred on the connection between equality and democracy and on Arab colleagues' wish for gender-sensitive further training; results were presented at the media conference 'Crossing Borders – Empowering Women Journalists in Egypt' in Cairo. Since 2013 the Medienlabor has served as a media-policy series for interested people from media, politics and society, addressing topics such as women journalists in war and crisis reporting, the power of corporate and publishing heiresses, the tabloidisation of the media, women in business journalism, media in an immigration society and women in political reporting, as well as investigative research and the effects of AI on media work. In 2011 the association was among the first signatories of the Berliner Erklärung, and since its founding in 2012 it has supported the media initiative Pro Quote Medien. In 2019 it launched the online project genderleicht.de and has run the website since mid-2019, advising media and an interested public on the use of gender-equitable language; since 2022 it has also advised on avoiding stereotypical portrayal of women in journalism. The JB awards three media prizes annually to women, honouring their journalistic achievements with the Hedwig-Dohm-Urkunde for lifetime achievement, the Marlies-Hesse-Nachwuchspreis for young talent and the Courage-Preis for current reporting; since 2022 a Hedwig-Dohm research stipend has also been awarded. Its chairs in order have been Gisela Brackert (1987–1991), Inge von Bönninghausen (1991–1999), Ulrike Helwerth (1999–2005), Eva Kohlrusch (2005–2011), Andrea Ernst (2011–2015), Rebecca Beerheide (2015–2019), Friederike Sittler (2019–2025) and Sissi Pitzer (from 2025).

• 2026

  Annual conference held 27–28 June in Nuremberg; jb media prizes 2026 awarded.

• 2025

  Sissi Pitzer becomes chair.

• 2022

  Hedwig-Dohm research stipend introduced; advisory work on avoiding stereotypical portrayal of women begins.

• 2021

  Watch-Salon blog ended on 26 May.

• 2019

  genderleicht.de online project launched and website operated from mid-2019.

• 2013

  Medienlabor media-policy series begins.

• 2012

  Brave project for women journalists from Arab Spring countries starts; supports the founding of Pro Quote Medien.

• 2011

  Among the first signatories of the Berliner Erklärung.

• 2008

  Watch-Salon blog launched.

• 2001

  Mentoring programme launched, initially as the 'Old Girl's Network'.

• 1995

  Begins its role as project partner of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), continuing until 2015.

• 1991

  Takes a position on political events such as the Gulf War.

• 1990

  Calls for a German-German media council with equal participation of women; becomes a member of the Deutscher Frauenrat in December.

• 1988

  Campaigns for stronger representation of women in leadership positions in German media.

• 1987

  Founded on 31 October in Frankfurt am Main, prompted by Gisela Brackert's open letter.

A feminist, diverse and engaged nationwide professional network for women in the media, committed to quality journalism, human and women's rights and gender equality.

• Hedwig-Dohm-Urkunde

  Annual media prize honouring a woman journalist's lifetime achievement.

• Marlies-Hesse-Nachwuchspreis

  Annual media prize for young women journalists.

• Courage-Preis

  Annual media prize for current reporting.

• Hedwig-Dohm-Recherchestipendium

  Research stipend awarded since 2022.

• Mentoring programme

  One-year mentoring for women journalists at the start of their careers, run since 2001.

• genderleicht.de

  Online advisory project on gender-equitable language, launched 2019.

• Medienlabor

  Media-policy discussion series running since 2013.

1. 1Journalistinnenbund | Netzwerk für Frauen in den Medienjournalistinnen.de
2. 2Die ersten 30 Jahre: Geschichte des jb im Überblick – Journalistinnenbundjournalistinnen.de
3. 3Journalistinnenbund – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Journalistinnenbund – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org