Journalists' association expels Putin biographer Seipel unanimously
The Journalists' Association Network Investigative Reporting (Netzwerk Recherche) has expelled journalist and Putin biographer Hubert Seipel from its ranks. "Hubert Seipel has broken the fundamental rules of independent journalism with his behavior and severely damaged the credibility of our profession," said the chairman Daniel Drepper. Seipel was therefore expelled unanimously by the members' meeting on Friday, Netzwerk Recherche announced on Saturday.
It became known in November 2023 that the award-winning television journalist and author received 600,000 euros from Russian entrepreneur Alexei Mordashov, according to the Journalists' Association. They were supposedly intended for the support of book projects. Mordashov is known as a Russian oligarch. He has been a long-term shareholder of TUI. The EU added Mordashov to its sanctions list at the end of February 2022.
"The payments made by Hubert Seipel contradict all rules of journalistic integrity and professionalism. With his actions, he has caused serious damage to investigative journalism and the reputation of our profession in the public," Netzwerk Recherche stated in the justification for Seipel's expulsion.
After the allegations became public, the Hamburg publisher Hoffmann and Campe stopped selling Seipel's books on President Vladimir Putin in November. In recent years, two non-fiction books about Putin by him have been published. The Netzwerk Recherche board reportedly asked Seipel for a statement on the allegations and advised him to leave the association. "Hubert Seipel did not leave the association."
Seipel's expulsion from Netzwerk Recherche was partly due to his receiving 600,000 euros from Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, a move that contradicts journalistic integrity and harmed investigative journalism. This financial support from Mordashov, a business associate of Putin-Biographer Seipel, raised concerns within the Journalists' Association.
