In a time of rapid change and complex challenges, journalists play an essential role in informing the public and helping audiences make sense of events at home and abroad. How are current debates in Germany and the United States being covered, and what parallels or contrasts can be drawn between the two countries?

In the latest installment of Foreign Correspondent Unplugged, Clay Risen, Reporter and Editor at The New York Times (2004 ACG Young Leader), and Dr. Anna Sauerbrey, Foreign Editor at Die Zeit (2018 ACG Kellen Fellow), shared their insights and experiences reporting on both sides of the Atlantic. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President of the American Council on Germany.

Democracy in both Germany and the United States faces mounting challenges, from rising political polarization to declining trust in institutions and practices.

The latest installment in the Foreign Correspondent Uplugged series explored how these pressures are-reshaping politics and public life on both sides of the Atlantic. The timely discussion featured award-winning journalists Vladimir Balzer (Deutschlandradio) and Dr. Melanie Amann (Der Spiegel) who examined political trends in Germany and challenges to democracy 35 years after German unity. 

The event was moderated by the President of the American Council on Germany, Dr. Steven E. Sokol.

Timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of German unification, this event explored what binds societies together in an era of division. Germany’s journey from East and West to a unified nation offers lessons for communities grappling with social, political, and economic polarization today. On October 3, journalists Vladimir Balzer and Celeste Diaz Schurman compared these experiences with efforts to foster social cohesion in Texas, where demographic change and political tensions present unique challenges.

The latest installment in the Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Houston and moderated by Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.

On January 27, Journalists McKay Coppins and Rieke Havertz discussed what European leaders and policymakers are monitoring and explored the potential shifts in transatlantic relations and how President Donald Trump's foreign policies may impact Europe’s economies, security, and diplomacy as well as broader international alliances.

The latest installment in the Foreign Correspondent Unpluged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. and monitored by Steve E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.

From sea-level rise, melting glaciers and extreme heat waves to the transition to renewables- climate change affects everyone, it’s the biggest story of our time. How are a climate activists in both the US and Germany addressing the topic? What is at stake and how could the US election impact the future of fossil fuels? Is there more awareness for climate change in Germany than in the US?

On September 16, the seventh discussion in the Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held in collaboration with the American Council on Germany at at the Goethe Institut in Boston. The conversation included Luisa Neubauer, climate activist from Germany and the most prominent representative of the German climate movement and Bill McKibben, environmental activist, educator, founder of Third Act and author of many books. Sabrina Shankman, who is reporting on climate change for the Boston Globe, moderated the event.

On August 22, the sixth discussion in the Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held in collaboration with the Thomas Mann House and the American Council on Germany at the Goethe Institut in Los Angeles. The conversation featured music Journalists Aida Baghernejad (2024 Thomas Mann Fellow) and August Brown (LA Times) as they discussed the powerful interplay between pop culture and the politics of protest in a conversation moderated by Annett Scheffel. The panelists explored how pop culture has become an indispensable arena for political expression and activism, examining the paradigm shifts in music journalism and the dynamic relationship between entertainment and social change. In this discussion the journalists negotiated how pop culture can act as an agent of hope and its role as a tool for supporting democracies in peril.

Since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel, the Israel-Hamas War and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have dominated headlines around the world. But how has news coverage itself shaped global attitudes towards the conflict, and how can journalism provide the basis for holding shared conversations about a polarizing issue?

On July 31, the fifth event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held with the Goethe Institut-Chicago with a discussion featuring journalists Hanno Hauenstein, Ben Mauk, and Alena Jabarine. The conversation was moderated by Leah Gallant, Program Curator at the Goethe-Institut Chicago.

A growing number of Americans and Germans have been engaging in civil action in recent years. They have come out to demand radical social and economic changes. What do their strategies look like? What is the role of civil society? And how do the two countries differ when it comes to the left at large?

On May 29, the fourth event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in New York City with a discussion featuring American political scientist Sheri Berman and German journalist Lukas Hermsmeier. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.

With elections for the European parliament early next month and the U.S. Presidential election on the horizon, campaigning in 2024 is heating up on both sides of the Atlantic. We are seeing increasing polarization and fragmentation of the political landscape – and even a calcification of positions. Yet, on both sides of the Atlantic, many candidates from the left and from the right are trying to appeal to voters in the political middle in the hope that they can pull votes from across party lines.

On May 9, the third event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. with a discussion featuring German journalists Annett Meiritz and Juliane Schäuble. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.

On April 25, the second event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. with a discussion featuring René Pfister, Der Spiegel’s Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and Charles Lane, Deputy Opinion Editor of The Washington Post and Columnist for the paper’s Op-Ed page. The event was moderated by Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Campus Free Expression Project.

The discussion delved into current political debates on both sides of the Atlantic and explored issues around political correctness and threats to freedom of speech, as well as how current ideological norms are increasingly influencing freedom of expression in the Western world, particularly in Europe and the USA. As we approach the European parliamentary elections in June and the U.S. presidential election in November, understanding the nuances and impacts of the ideological shifts on freedom of speech is increasingly critical.