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How can you attract attention with press releases in times when events in the world are hasty? Which tools can be used to better explain the politics and culture of one's own country? And how does the federal press conference work as a self-organization of the media in Germany? Diplomats from seven countries, who are responsible for press and public relations work at their embassies, sought answers to these questions at a media workshop organised by diplo.news. The participants came from Croatia, India, Peru, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Oman and Iran. In compact sessions, they spent a whole day learning the tools that will make their work in Germany easier.

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The workshop began with an overview of the German media landscape, gave insights into the day-to-day work and pressure of journalists, and described the most common mistakes in press releases. A representative from the Federal Foreign Office explained what lies behind the strategic communication of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The end was a lively presentation on crisis communication and how to best respond to allegations, false reports and campaigns.

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The highlight was a visit to the government press conference with government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit and journalist Ute Welty from the board of the Federal Press Conference as well as spokespersons from all ministries. This time, the German capital correspondents and members of the Foreign Press Association asked significantly more questions about foreign policy than usual on current occasions. During the workshop, the diplomats also learned why the Federal Press Conference with government press conferences is unique worldwide and how it is still working 75 years after its founding.

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Speakers included experienced journalists, including Ewald König, long-time Germany correspondent from Austria and founder of diplo.news, and Gudrun Dometeit, former foreign news director of Focus magazine and now editor-in-chief of the digital platform. In addition to Ambassador Peter Ptassek, who gave a very humorous introduction to the system of strategic communication, other coaches shared their insider knowledge.

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The workshop took place at the diplo.news editorial office in the House of the Federal Press Conference, in the close neighbourhood of the German Bundestag, the Federal Chancellery and the main train station.

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At the end, the participants received a certificate — absolutely forgery-proof, printed on banknote paper from the Swiss paper mill LandQart, which specializes in high-security papers.

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Three more media workshops are planned for the current year:

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

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If you are interested, you can pre-register now!

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