Karin Schuhwerk was recognized for her years of service as a music editor for Radio Tirol.
Public Value Check
ORF Public Value has asked scientists from Austrian educational institutions to assess the value and benefit of the awarded work. The quotes in detail:
"European reporting has long been a challenging 'candidate' for news journalism - a topic often assumed to have low audience interest and high information complexity. But precisely for this reason, I value EU reporting so much. For me, the public value of such reporting sometimes carries even more weight than local or other international reporting. Politics in Brussels is of enormous importance for Austrian democracy and influences our daily lives on many levels."
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sophie Lecheler, University of Vienna, on the work of Marlene Stocker.
(on Anita Fichtinger-Eder:) "Long-standing expertise and the ability to contextualize far-reaching historical developments are the basis for conscientious journalistic work. Reminding us of the downsides of tourism and the often intangible aftermath of natural disasters is a classic journalistic virtue that Anita Fichtinger-Eder has demonstrated in one of her numerous contributions."
(on Georg Filzmoser:) "Having an editorial review and thus an important quality check is central for a public service media provider to meet high standards. In times of constant resource constraints in the media sector, editorial review is often the first to face cuts - yet this control function is an essential part of conscientious journalistic work and preparation."
(On Marlene Stocker:) "The contextualization of political decisions - especially at the European level - is highly relevant for the opinion formation of Austrian citizens and thus also part of ORF's educational mandate. Regular reporting from Brussels and maintaining this correspondence over the years is a quality feature of ORF, which has consistently offered reporting in recent years."
(On Karin Schuhwerk:) "Through ORF's regional studios, state-specific news can be created, and the various regions of Austria can be covered with local program creators and journalists. The often criticized Vienna-centric reporting can and should be clearly addressed with more regional reporting."
Mag. Gisela Reiter, FH Wien, on the achievements of the "Hidden Stars"
"As a news coordinator in the Multimedia Newsroom, Anita Fichtinger-Eder makes a significant contribution to the production of high-quality journalism and the fulfillment of ORF's public service mandate. Her work behind the camera and microphone is as crucial as that of the visible presenters and reporters. She ensures that topics are quickly, thoroughly, and accurately prepared for various ORF channels, guaranteeing that news is not only current but also in-depth, fact-based, and balanced.
Her work is particularly important in preparing news for ORF's different communication platforms - from traditional TV programs (such as ZIB and Report) to digital platforms. This makes high-quality journalism accessible to a broad audience, regardless of their preferred medium. Through careful editorial coordination, topic planning, and fact-checking, she ensures that ORF fulfills its role as an independent watchdog of democracy.
The high quality and credibility of ORF journalism would be more challenging to achieve without the work of Georg Filzmoser as the head of ORF.at's editorial review. The editorial review plays a central role in content quality control, especially on sensitive topics. Careful review avoids ambiguities, incorrect formulations, or unintended distortions. This control of linguistic correctness, comprehensibility, and precision strengthens ORF's seriousness and prevents misunderstandings due to inaccurately formulated reporting. Thus, the editorial review significantly contributes to ORF.at being perceived as a reliable news source - a crucial factor for trust in public service media.
The journalistic quality of ORF is evident in many ways, with many important contributions emerging behind the scenes. An example is Marlene Stocker, who, as a producer in the ORF Brussels office, plays a central role in planning, selecting topics, and implementing EU news. Through her work, she ensures that content is balanced, fact-based, and understandable, significantly contributing to the quality assurance of ORF's news offerings. Her work ensures well-founded reporting on the EU, which is an essential foundation for an informed public and democratic participation. She thus makes a valuable contribution to ORF's public value by making European politics tangible and understandable.
Karin Schuhwerk contributes to creating public value as a member of the music editorial team at ORF Radio Tirol by shaping the station's music program, contributing to cultural diversity and regional identity. By mixing folk music, Schlager, Austropop, and international classics, tradition and modernity are united, appealing to a broad audience. Through careful selection, she can provide a platform for local and national artists, contributing to musical diversity at the regional and national levels. This creates a musical home that reflects the regional lifestyle, strengthens the Austrian music scene, and supports local artists. The resulting program preserves traditions while simultaneously opening new musical horizons and strengthening regional identification that accompanies listeners daily."
Dr. Denise Voci B.A., M.A., University of Klagenfurt, on the "Hidden Stars"
Further contributions to the discourse on public service quality and the documentation of public value are published by ORF in the publication series "PUBLIC VALUE TEXTE." Over 300 scientists and media experts have published relevant views on the quality debate there. ORF's quality assurance system is outlined in a special publication; results from the system are published here annually.
All issues of "PUBLIC VALUE TEXTE" and various scientific studies on public value can be found here:
ORF Public Value - TEXTS (documents only available in german)
ORF Public Value - STUDIES (documents only available in german)
Transparency as a Public Value Category
The "Transparency" category documents ORF's performance in public relations and communication with the audience. The category is based, among other things, on the following passages from ORF regulations:
ORF Law
§ 7. (1) The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation must prepare a report for the Federal Chancellor and the regulatory authority on the fulfillment of the mandates in the previous calendar year.
§ 4a. (7) The quality assurance system, as well as the studies and participant surveys created for it, and the relevant resolutions of the Foundation Council and the Audience Council, must be easily, immediately, and continuously accessible on the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation's website.
ORF Ethics Code
The emergence of potential conflicts of interest can never be completely prevented; therefore, transparency and appropriate measures should avoid doubts about independence. The higher the respective management level or external exposure, the stricter the assessment criteria must be applied.
ORF Code of Conduct
Editorial collaborations with companies, institutions, etc., must be clearly labeled. Events where ORF is a media partner receive no preferential treatment in reporting. They are also critically examined according to usual journalistic rules. Even for charitable purposes (campaigns), journalistic criteria, journalistic self-responsibility, etc., must not be disregarded. Material provided by companies, institutions, etc., may only be used if it does not influence editorial decisions in any way. Any violations must be pursued according to ORF law.
Figures & Data
Below are exemplary figures documenting the fulfillment of the public service mandate and the associated media quality.(Figures & Data only available in german.) Further information can be found in ORF's annual report to the Federal Chancellor and regulatory authority, the transparency report, the business and sustainability report, as well as the reports on equality (ORF Public Value - DOCUMENTS), the action plan for accessibility, or ORF's annual and consolidated financial statements.
Exemplary Figures
ORF Kontakt 2024
Publikumskontakte
| Social Media | 4.761.000 |
| Telefon | 757.000 |
| E-Mails | 187.000 |
| "ZIB" | 13.000 |
| "Guten Morgen Österreich" | 4.400 |
| Sprache und Sprechen | 4.200 |
| Fußball | 3.800 |
| "Fit mit den Stars" | 2.300 |
| Ski Alpin | 2.200 |
| TELETEXT | 2.200 |
| "Studio 2" | 1.900 |
| "Wahl 24" | 1.500 |
| "Bürgeranwalt" | 1.300 |
| Pressebilder | 60.905 |
| Fototermine | 702 |
| Printstorys | 32.722 |
| Pressetexte online | 3.872 |
| Page-Impressions auf der Unternehmenswebsite der.ORF.at | 4.119.432 |
| Touren, Workshops und Geburtstage | 1.700 |
| Besucher:innen | 45.000 |
| Kinder im Alter von 6 bis 14 Jahren | 2.000 |
| Tickets für Themenschwerpunkte | 933 |
