Richard Grenell, the former US ambassador to Germany and confidant of President Donald Trump, has requested that the visa of the head of the German public television station ZDF's studio in Washington be revoked.
German public television station ZDF defended its Washington correspondent, Elmar Thevessen, against harsh criticism from former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.
"Elmar Thevessen's work is protected by freedom of the press," ZDF declared. Press freedom is a valuable asset in Germany and the US.
Grenell has, among other things, called the head of the ZDF studio in Washington a left-wing radical and has demanded that his US visa be revoked.
Grenell, who is considered a Trump confidant, claims that Thevessen had made repeated calls for violence against people with whom he disagreed politically.
The German Journalists Association reacts
The German Journalists Association (DJV) also criticized Grenell's request for visa waiver.
"As long as journalists act within the framework of freedom of the press and freedom of expression, coercive state measures do not belong in the arsenal of liberal democracies," said DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster.
In a letter to the US Embassy in Berlin, the association called for an end to such threats.
Grenell was the US ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 - during Trump's first term.
During this time he was often the subject of criticism for his rather undiplomatic behavior.
Visa restrictions for foreign journalists
At the end of August, the US government announced that it would limit the validity of visas for foreign journalists.
Journalist visas will be issued for a maximum of 240 days, while for journalists from China, they will be issued for only 90 days. Currently, such visas are valid for up to five years. /DW/
