Joachim Lichtinghagen Rudolf Esders

For us, the video footage that the press had left behind was of great interest. I’m thinking for example of the scene in Bremen-Huckelriede where Mr. Rösner’s partner lifted little Tatjana out of the bus. And then Rösner threatened her, a terrible angry rant.

This instance alone is enough to speculate whether it was ethically justifiable to show little Tatjana de Giorgi and then broadcast the scene on television. A child being threatened. Just put yourself in the shoes of any parents watching at home.

I think in the course of everything that happened, the three perpetrators, especially Hans-Jürgen Rösner, realized that all of this could play to their advantage. Just think back on how in Cologne a journalist had gotten into the car to show the way. It was that sort of help, Rösner was happy to accept.

The police’s work was hindered by journalists. Greatly so.

But on the other hand – I’m thinking of Bremen-Huckelriede – the journalists sometimes felt left alone that the police had withdrawn. But this was not the case. The police were acting from concealment.

I remember a particular reporter in Bremen-Huckelriede who tried to make contact between the perpetrators and the police. I remember him shouting, “Why is no one answering?” Meaning the phone; he was trying to call a police station.

As if he felt forced to take some sort of action. In my view, that had nothing to do with so-called sensationalist journalism.

And he was not the one doing the big interviews, certainly not those with the hostages. That’s where a line was no doubt crossed, I think – the question of whether one interviews just the perpetrators, or both perpetrators and hostages, or actually documents hostages being threatened.

Journalists asked Degowski, who threatened Silke Bischoff outside the bus: “Would you shoot?” How is Degowski meant to respond? If he says “no”, then his threats lose their weight. So he says “yes”. And not long afterwards this actually happened and he shot Emanuele de Giorgi.

One can consider whether this constituted negligent manslaughter by the journalists. In a causal sense, you could say it was.