Reporting from over 160 countries — timely, continuously and with informed insights
About us
Some members of the Weltreporter network at our annual meeting in Hamburg 2025.
Weltreporter.net is the largest network of freelance German-speaking foreign correspondents, reporting from over 160 countries — providing timely updates and in-depth background knowledge.
Whether addressing climate change, right-wing populism, or security policies, global events significantly impact life in Germany. To make these contexts understandable, well-founded reporting is essential — conducted by professional correspondents who are intimately familiar with the situation on the ground and can provide informed analysis.
Who we are
Our correspondents live in the countries and regions from which they report. This familiarity with local political and social conditions enables us to build strong networks, assess crises and developments accurately, and react swiftly to current events—even in times of crisis.
We seek out the stories behind the news. Our understanding of everyday life in our respective countries fuels our curiosity about people and places, and we maintain high standards for our work. We are committed to the belief that the public has a right to reliable, thorough, comprehensive, and independent foreign reporting.
On our world map, you can explore where our correspondents are located.
We publish a monthly newsletter and maintain an active presence on social media. Some of our correspondents are affiliated with the collective RiffReporter, where they also share stories.
Weltreporter.net is a non-profit organization, and we welcome your support through tax-deductible donations. We promote political education and discussions about foreign reporting through events and webinars.
Our story
“From Tokyo to Kabul, Moscow, London, and San Salvador – one of us is always awake.” This phrase introduced Weltreporter.net to the public in November 2004, marking us as the first network of freelance correspondents dedicated to reporting for German-language media worldwide.
Two months earlier, freelance China correspondent Janis Vougioukas reached out to about a dozen colleagues globally via email. The goal was to collaborate in overcoming the challenging conditions faced by freelance journalists and to produce high-quality foreign reporting.
“Back then, we aimed to create a platform that would make it easier for editors to find us and recognize our quality,” our president, Bettina Rühl, told the newspaper taz during our 20th anniversary celebration in 2024.
Since our founding, the Weltreporter network has expanded to nearly 50 active correspondents, supported by around 40 former reporters.
Here is a selection of 20 particularly noteworthy articles by our members from the first 20 years.
We celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2024 with a special event at Publix House in Berlin.
Board of Directors
Bettina Rühl (Chairwoman and Spokesperson): Bettina has been a freelance journalist since 1988, focusing on Africa. She moved to Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2011 and now lives on the continent she has covered through numerous research trips.
Leonie March (Second Spokesperson): Leonie has been residing in South Africa as a freelance correspondent since 2009. She regularly travels to other countries in the region, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Her fascination with the diversity and contradictions of Southern Africa began during her first extended stay in 1990.
Christoph Drösser (Treasurer): Based in San Francisco, Christoph works mainly for German media outlets, including Die Zeit/Zeit Online, Radio Eins, Deutschlandfunk, and SWR. Before relocating to the US West Coast in 2014, he was an editor and reporter in the science department of Die Zeit for 18 years. From 2004 to 2006, he served as the founding editor-in-chief of Zeit Wissen magazine.
Antje Stiebitz (Associate Board Member): Antje writes and produces radio reports for Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Deutschlandfunk, NDR, and WDR. She publishes feature stories, commentaries, analyses, profiles, and interviews on topics related to religion, politics, society, and culture.
Wolf-Dieter Vogel (Associate Board Member):Wolf-Dieter lives in a region marked by corrupt politicians, criminal gangs, and social inequality. He reports on parents searching for their abducted children, persecuted environmentalists, and pastors who save the lives of migrants. He has written about the illegal exports of German weapons to Mexico for taz, BR, and SWR, and he played a significant role in the ARD production “Tödliche Exporte,” which won the Grimme Prize in 2016.
How we work
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do you find your stories? Who suggests them?
We discover many of our topics through newspapers, television, or radio in the countries we report on. Sometimes, ideas arise from conversations. Our advantage lies in living in our reporting areas and being well-connected, allowing us to respond to crises without flying in at short notice. Once we have a story idea, we write a brief pitch and send it to editors, or we develop ideas during phone conversations.
How does collaboration with editors work for freelance journalists?
We either make suggestions or are assigned topics, followed by an agreed-upon deadline. After submission, there is a correction phase, and arrangements are made via email, phone, or messenger apps.
Is anyone in your network permanently employed?
No, we are a network of freelance foreign correspondents.
How are you compensated? By the word? By counting clicks?
Typically, fees are based on character count, printed lines, or, for radio and television, by the minute. Larger reports may be compensated based on time and effort, and some assignments are paid by the day—there are many possibilities, often depending on our negotiating skills.
How do you ensure that your research is not politically influenced?
We present multiple perspectives in our research, and while we are exposed to various political attitudes, we strive to present these accurately. However, in many countries, limits exist; reporting too critically on governments can jeopardize our ability to obtain visas.
How do you travel in these countries? Isn’t it dangerous? Do you always have security with you?
This varies significantly from country to country. Security precautions are essential, especially for war reporting. Generally, it’s advisable to have someone knowledgeable about the area accompany us during research, whether for introductions or interpretation. In critical regions, this person typically knows which zones to avoid.
Who are your clients, and how do they determine topics? Do they influence what you write?
Our clients include newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and sometimes foundations. Editors may specify the focus for our topics or certain questions, but we also pitch the main story. If our work is edited or shortened, ideally this is discussed with us, allowing us to supplement or correct the narrative as needed.
Occasionally, editors may not check changes with us, which can lead to errors. Typically, this arises from a desire to cut content rather than any political motivation. However, simplifications can misrepresent the story.
Headlines have become increasingly problematic. We usually suggest headlines for our stories but these are often not used. More frequently, headlines must be “catchy” and optimized for search engines, which can result in misleading keywords that don’t accurately summarize the core of the article.
Our journalistic principles
The Editorial Policy of Weltreporter
Our reporting adheres to the following principles:
On-the-ground expertise: Our correspondents live and work in their reporting areas, gaining in-depth insights into local conditions, cultures, and developments.
Multi-perspectivity: In a multipolar world, we recognize the need to broaden Eurocentric viewpoints and convey diverse perspectives.
Quality journalism: We are committed to well-founded, fact-based reporting and reject simplifications and sensationalism.
Transparency: Our correspondents strive to disclose their research methods while respecting the protection of sources and journalistic diligence, and to identify any possible restrictions in their reporting.
Quality assurance: Our correspondents are dedicated to carefully checking their sources, cross-referencing information from at least two independent sources, and placing news in context.
Presentation and Narratives
Acknowledging complexity: We avoid oversimplifications that fail to reflect the realities on the ground.
Avoiding stereotypes: We critically reflect on stereotypes and prejudices, striving not to reproduce them in our reporting.
Plurality of voices: We aim to amplify different perspectives, especially those that are underrepresented in the German-language media landscape.
Recognizing and classifying narratives: We identify prevailing narratives and place them within their respective contexts.
Ethical Standards
Protecting sources: Safeguarding our sources is a top priority.
No instrumentalization: We reject any form of instrumentalization of our journalistic work for political, economic, or other purposes.
Independence: We maintain our journalistic independence and transparently address any potential conflicts of interest.
Goals of Our Reporting
Promoting a change of perspective: We strive to foster understanding of the diverse perspectives and narratives found in different regions of the world.
Contributing to democratic debate: We see our work as a contribution to strengthening an informed and democratic society.
Raising awareness of disinformation: We aim to sensitize our audience to false reports and manipulative narratives.
This editorial policy is regularly reviewed and adapted as necessary to respond to new developments and challenges in international journalism.