Three Questions for... Maren van Norden, project leader of "Under pressure?"

The project Under pressure? Media and Antisemitism under National Socialism & Today brings together media professionals to explore the continuity of antisemitic ideologies, looking at how they spread through media, and how antidemocratic and structurally antisemitic attacks are made on the press – both now and in the past.

1. How did the idea for your project come about, and why did you choose this approach in particular?

The Cologne Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation has been active for many years in political education aimed at combating antisemitism and racism. One key element of this work has been engaging with multipliers – those who are able to reach broader audiences. Journalists have a particularly crucial role to play here: they shape public and political discourse and – whether intentionally or unintentionally – they may reinforce antisemitic narratives and coded language.

Historically, journalism has played a central role in the dissemination of antisemitic ideologies – before, during, and after the Nazi period. Many of those narratives still echo today. At the same time, many media professionals currently face precarious working conditions and are increasingly disconnected from institutional frameworks. This presents us with a major challenge: how can we design educational programs that reach a wide audience both inside and beyond editorial offices. This is why our project is built around three interlocking formats:

• a digital learning tool tailored especially for freelance media professionals, enabling self-paced learning,
• a touring exhibition designed to prompt editorial teams to reflect on historical continuities, featuring integrated interviews that offer insights into the perspectives of affected or engaged media workers,
• and a workshop format aimed primarily – though not exclusively – at aspiring journalists.

This combination provides a comprehensive framework for engaging with the topic of media and antisemitism under national socialism and today.

2. How do you empower media professionals to address contemporary antisemitism, and what feedback have you received from participants?

Antisemitism is a delusional ideology that has nothing to do with the actual reality of Jewish life – yet it remains a daily threat to Jewish people around the world. History shows that this ideology repeatedly leads to violence and pogroms; the Shoah was its most horrific consequence. That’s why our project goes beyond just providing factual information. We aim to help participants understand the psychological function of antisemitism.

From this understanding, we emphasize self-reflection: journalists are to be able to recognize where antisemitic narratives might appear in their work and understand how certain media practices – such as clickbait, emotional framing, or oversimplification – can contribute to the spread of stereotypes.

Our formats are highly practice-oriented. We use real-life media examples and feature interviews with Jewish journalists and publicists like Philipp Peyman Engel and Laura Cazés. They share personal experiences from their work in media and offer concrete dos and don’ts.

We’ve received especially positive feedback on these tangible takeaways – for example, why the phrase “Jewish fellow citizens”, though often well-intentioned, reinforces othering by linguistically placing Jews outside the societal majority. Another element participants value is our analysis of antisemitic codes – like the centuries-old “child murderer” trope: this emerged in the Middle Ages and still appears today in conspiracy myths or in the form of veiled references in reporting on Israel.

3. On September 17 you're hosting a specialist conference. What’s on the agenda, and how can people sign up? 

On September 17 we’re holding our journalism conference Under pressure? The complex interplay between media and antisemitism. The event is intended as a space for dialog and networking, but also as a forum for hands-on engagement with the challenges of journalism in this complex field. 

On the one hand, media professionals are increasingly facing anti-democratic hostility. On the other, issues such as the Middle East conflict and wars in Gaza or Iran place enormous pressure on them, with unclear sources, tight deadlines, the demand for real-time reporting, competition from social media, and a lack of knowledge and sensitivity around antisemitism. 

Jewish journalists and people who work critically on antisemitism are under particularly intense pressure right now. Our aim is to address this openly and encourage dialog.

The conference will feature leading experts such as Ronen Steinke, Hanna Veiler, Esther Schapira, Laura Cazés, Jörg Reichel, Rosa Jellinek, Christina Feist, Jonas Hessenauer of the Tikvah Institute, and our colleagues from the EVZ-funded project History Unit , which is run by n-ost.

The plan is to include a keynote speech, a panel discussion, practical workshops, a presentation of our educational modules, and also the opening of our touring exhibition.

Sign up for the conference