ZDF’s Guido Knopp

Professor Guido Knopp began his journalism career working for some of Germany’s most respected newspapers. He then joined the public broadcaster ZDF, and for years has overseen its history department. He has produced a host of films about World War II, many about Adolf Hitler, including Hitler’s Manager, Hitler’s Women and Hitler’s Holocaust, as well as documentaries about the Cold War era. ZDF Enterprises has distributed Professor Knopp’s films to broadcasters around the world. A respected historian and prolific writer, who has also published a number of books, Knopp firmly believes today’s generations need to understand the past in order to be better prepared for the future.

TV REAL: Why is it important to offer programs about history to today’s viewers—especially the younger viewers?
KNOPP: Whoever wants to understand today’s world has to have some understanding of history. History is important: this knowledge and the interest in it should not be left to a minority that already knows everything. Only television has a chance to reach strata—especially younger viewers—who would otherwise be unattainable for this discourse on contemporary history.

TV REAL: In particular, why should our children understand what led to World War I and World War II and the consequences of those global conflicts?
KNOPP: In the past century, Europe was responsible for two global conflicts that changed the world and continue to influence us today. We are still in the process of overcoming the consequences of World War II, and we are on the right path. However, it is precisely young people who must understand that peace and the permeability of borders should not be taken for granted. Up to a little over 20 years ago, things were very different on our continent, and bloody wars were fought by European nations in the first half of the 20th century. One must recognize these connections. Only then can we truly see what has been achieved; only then can we commit ourselves to persevering on this path. At the same time, Europe shows the rest of the world that hostility and conflicts can be surmounted.

TV REAL: In your television work, which topics interest you the most?
KNOPP: As a German historian, I am particularly interested in the chapters of history that continue to affect us today: the two World Wars, the Cold War and, finally, the overcoming of the postwar order. As a TV filmmaker, I always find it exciting to put individuals in the forefront, people who made history, and people who experienced, and suffered through, historical events. The topics of recent history can be colorful; after all, our history does not only consist of politics. Personalities, celebrities, stars, big social and pop-cultural events and royal weddings have also marked our collective memory.

TV REAL: What programs are you currently working on?
KNOPP: We are currently working on a five-part series about the history of the "Holy War." For over 1,200 years, East and West have been confronting one another in endless conflicts. We want to find out what role religion really played here, and whether it might not always have been only a cover for usual power politics. We are also preparing a series on "The Secrets of the Third Reich."

TV REAL: As a historian and academician, how do you feel about the use of dramatic re-enactments and CGI in documentaries? What are your guidelines in using them?
KNOPP: In my view, reenactments are only helpful in a documentary when there is no suitable archival material, and when there are no other possibilities of depicting a certain aspect with the modern means of the TV medium. We use them chiefly when we take a brief look at a key moment in history, but only when such moments actually did take place and are well documented. CGI offers additional possibilities: we can now recreate what a camera was never able to capture. But here, too, we must base ourselves on solid historical and scientific facts.

TV REAL: As 24-hour news channels, such as CNN or Sky News, have a tendency to focus on breaking news, how important is it for documentaries to provide context to major events?
KNOPP: News channels fulfill an important role. They can pump up certain topics and influence politics; but they can also quickly drop other topics or ignore them completely. This can also have political consequences. All the more important is the completely different role played by documentary filmmakers: they follow their themes over the course of months, and sometimes years, which often allows them to reach a truly well-balanced evaluation of their subject, especially when seen in retrospect. This is also the advantage of the historical documentary: it usually arises after a certain amount of time has passed between the occurrence of the events and the present day. The dust of battles must settle, protagonists must have time to think about their roles, and the files must become available—only then is it possible to secure greater knowledge.

TV REAL: What do you think of the state of journalism today? Certainly in the U.S. some channels give more importance to opinion and sparking controversy than in presenting the facts. Are you seeing this in Europe as well?
KNOPP: I do not directly observe the U.S. media landscape, but am well informed about the problems. I can only say this: in my generation, the training of journalists oriented itself on the Anglo-Saxon ideal: the separation of opinion from factual reporting. For a politically thinking and feeling person, this goal is not always easy to reach, but for me it remains the ideal of responsible journalism.

TV REAL: Do you feel that state broadcasters, such as ZDF, because they have a guaranteed source of funding and do not depend on ratings and advertising, can produce better news and current-affairs programming than commercial channels can?
KNOPP: It is not up to me to judge what others are doing, but I would like to emphasize where our strengths lie: within our core competences is the high quality of our political reporting, which includes both current affairs and documentaries. This quality claim has a political intent and justification; a functioning democracy needs functioning political information. Public-law broadcasters are a constitutive element of our democracy. In Germany, they are part of the success story that began in 1949 with the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.