Behind the scenes of political communication - the work of a government spokesperson in times of crisis

We are delighted to welcome government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit to the Foundation on February 26, 2024 at 5.30 p.m. to talk about „Behind the scenes of political communication – the work of a government spokesperson in times of crisis“.

Steffen Hebestreit has been government spokesperson and head of the Federal Press Office since December 2021. In his role, he answers questions about the government’s important decisions, delivers sometimes good and sometimes bad news and always acts as the voice of the Chancellor. Especially in times of crisis, the position of government spokesperson plays an immensely important role in our democracy. And there has certainly been no shortage of crises in recent years: not only was the corona crisis anything but over when Steffen Hebestreit took office, but the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine plunged Europe into a crisis that has not yet been overcome and whose consequences are still ongoing. At the same time, the escalation in the Middle East conflict and the budget deficit looming at the end of 2023 are providing anything but relief. Especially in the face of such crises, the question arises as to what constitutes good political communication.

We are delighted to welcome Steffen Hebestreit, Federal Government Spokesperson and Head of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, to the Foundation on Monday, February 26 at 5.30 pm.

Together with you and Steffen Hebestreit, we want to discuss the following and other questions: What does the work of a government spokesperson look like, especially in times of crisis? How can political communication help to strengthen the public’s trust in politics in times of crisis? How much room for maneuver does a government spokesperson have when answering journalistic questions? How does political communication differ from journalism, and to what extent has social media changed political communication?

We look forward to your participation. We kindly ask you to register online by 25.02.2024.