In an account of private messages published by German weekly Die Zeit in April 2023, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner was quoted as writing, “I am all for climate change,” followed by, “We shouldn’t fight climate change but adjust to it.” The remarks were reported as a 2017 message—not as an official climate position from Axel Springer or any of its publications.
What the reported message said
The Guardian quoted the remarks from Die Zeit’s account of internal chats, emails and texts: “I am all for climate change” and “We shouldn’t fight climate change but adjust to it.” The Guardian described the climate comment as dating to 2017. Futurism’s April 16, 2023 article likewise attributed the leaked communications to Die Zeit and reported the climate remarks as a 2017 message.
Those words express a view about adapting to climate change rather than fighting it. They should not be read as a scientific finding or as a company policy statement: the reports identify them as a private communication attributed to Döpfner.
How Döpfner responded
The Guardian reported that Döpfner later said climate change was “real and threatening.” He also argued that the leaked fragments did not represent his “true way of thinking.” This is his response to the reporting; it does not independently establish the context of the messages or resolve how the quoted wording should be interpreted.
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Why the leak drew wider attention
The controversy extended beyond the climate remark. The reports described other messages concerning Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Bild’s then editor, Julian Reichelt, including claims involving Bild’s coverage ahead of Germany’s 2021 election. The Guardian also reported Döpfner’s denial that editors could be influenced. These are separate reported allegations and responses, not proof that the climate comment shaped editorial decisions.
That wider context mattered because Döpfner led Axel Springer, a publisher whose titles include Bild and Politico. Reports of political communications by a media company’s chief executive raise questions about editorial independence, but the climate quotation itself was not reported as an editorial position of those publications.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reporting establishes—and what it does not
Futurism published its article matching this subject on April 16, 2023; The Guardian’s report appeared on April 13, 2023. Both attributed their accounts of the leaked communications to Die Zeit. The original Die Zeit report and underlying messages are not available in those two accounts for independent authentication here, so the wording and context should remain attributed to the reporting.
The reports support a clear account of what Döpfner was quoted as saying and how he responded. They do not, on their own, establish subsequent consequences or prove that the message represented Axel Springer’s institutional position.
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Sources: Futurism, April 16, 2023; The Guardian, April 13, 2023.
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