thank you for your letter.
We have noted your feedback regarding the interview of Katja Gasser with Peter Handke on April 15, 2025 for the responsible department. In reference to this, we are sending you the following statement from the editorial team:
Thank you for your feedback on our program. We were aware that an interview with Peter Handke would be polarizing. Nevertheless, we decided to invite him as one of Austria's most important authors and a Nobel laureate. The conversation was intended to focus on his latest book, his assessment of the current global situation, and, of course, his controversial political views.
The interviewer, Katja Gasser, made it clear with her question that this crime is to be classified as “genocide” and that it was and is expected of Handke to acknowledge this fact.
We will dedicate several ORF-broadcasts – including a segment in our show “kulturMONTAG” – to the genocide of Srebrenica on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
Best regards
Martha Donner
ORF-KUNDENDIENST
Generaldirektion | Marketing und Kommunikation