When the last printed copies of the wall newspaper Edition 185 were posted in the collective shelters in the Tübingen district on March 20, 2020, no one probably realized that an era was coming to an end. The Corona lockdown on March 22, 2020, turned the world upside down for the editorial team of tuenews INTERNATIONAL. It not only brought an end to the weekly editorial meetings at the district office, but even delivering the finished wall newspapers would no longer have been possible due to contact restrictions. The project was at risk of ending—yet the need for information was enormous, as news in the refugees’ native languages was practically unavailable. But the team led by publisher Wolfgang Sannwald turned things around. In no time, a weekly wall newspaper became a daily online information portal. Ademola Adetunji from Nigeria, who had been part of the online editorial team since 2019, had long planned a homepage—and now he put it into action. Hajera Sheikh from Pakistan and Rahima Abdelhafid from Algeria posted the news items. In this way, Corona became a catalyst for the digitalization of tuenews INTERNATIONAL. The “Integreat” app, through which municipalities share information with refugees, became a partner—tuenews INTERNATIONAL remains an important content provider to this day.
News in Real Time
Wolfgang Sannwald, who works full-time as head of the public relations department at the district office, recalls how rapidly life changed. When he returned to the office in March 2020 after a brief illness, much of the work at the district office was already happening online. Even staff meetings were held only via screen. “From my time at the university, I was familiar with the online tools Zoom and Padlet,” he says. He concluded that the future of tuenews lay in digitalization. “We realized that anyone who spoke only broken German would be completely overwhelmed by the information chaos.” The editorial WhatsApp group was buzzing, and the new homepage was updated with news in real time. “For two weeks, there was still a parallel operation of paper and online editions.” Then the transition was complete. The tuenews magazine continued in print for a while longer.
Unfamiliar Ways of Working
Corona and the lockdown also changed working methods. The editorial conference became a video conference, and translations and uploads were coordinated via WhatsApp. Online work was unfamiliar and exhausting. There was no fixed editorial deadline as with the wall newspaper—news could now theoretically be uploaded around the clock. At that time, Sannwald didn’t even have an internet connection at home: “I used mobile plans and had to keep adding gigabytes.” The medium accelerated tremendously. “I often took walks to clear my head,” recalls Sannwald. Always with him: the camera. For the new homepage, he photographed all barrier tapes at playgrounds and every sign with Corona rules.
The Mobile Phone: Center of the World
It turned out that refugees were often more technically proficient with new media than the professional staff and coaches on the editorial team. “Honestly, we initially misjudged our target group,” says Sannwald. “We thought our type of digital communication via email and internet was modern.” But for many refugees, the mobile phone had long been central to their daily lives during their flight. It was their connection to the world, providing navigation, communication, safeguarding images of important documents, and serving as a translator. Yet in 2015/2016, wall newspapers were the medium of choice because expensive mobile plans and few Wi-Fi hotspots limited refugees’ communication in Germany.
Reliable Information
After the transition, the high demand for tuenews news online proved the editorial team right. The rapidly changing Corona regulations, with their contact restrictions, relaxations, and tightening measures, were quickly published online thanks to tuenews editor Ute Kaiser—not only in German but also in Arabic, Dari/Farsi, and English, thanks to the translation team. Visitors to the tuenews pages could rely on accurate information from trustworthy sources, not conspiracy theories: Who can I meet? Where can I shop? How does the Tübingen model work? When can I get tested or vaccinated? These were the questions tuenews answered. Wolfgang Sannwald is still convinced that tuenews remains unique nationwide due to its combination of everyday-relevant topics, journalistic professionalism, and verified translations. tuenews benefited from the district providing basic funding for the platform, securing a permanent position for coordination and paying mini-job translators.
Laptop and Soup Pot
Virtual meetings also changed the style of editorial conferences. “With refugees, you could hear children in the background,” recalls Sannwald. As refugees often joined via smartphone, they also offered glimpses into their daily lives—such as connecting on the way home from work. Work and private life mixed: one could briefly turn off the camera to stir soup on the stove during an online session. Weekly meetings gave refugees relief from the loneliness of lockdown. “During Corona, tuenews was often the only place I could speak German,” recalls Oula Mahfouz, a founding tuenews editor from Syria. During this time, introductory rounds began with questions to all: Where do you like to walk? What drinks help you in extreme heat? These encouraged conversation and often brought new topics for the homepage.
Ukrainian Added
When the Ukraine war broke out in 2022, tuenews could build on its experience. Two Ukrainian refugees worked with coaches to develop an information strategy. Their good English skills, along with improved translation software, made it easier for them to research directly with German authorities. Again, everyday questions were central: How do I find my own apartment? Where can I buy stamps in Germany? Why do I need to register my dog with the city? Editor Yana Rudenko even traveled to Kyiv in summer 2022 for her remote studies. When Minister President Winfried Kretschmann visited the tuenews editorial office, an online connection was established with a moving bus in western Ukraine. Kretschmann was deeply impressed. Digital networking also helped quickly obtain first-hand information during the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
tuenews Goes Global
Alongside its own homepage and early Facebook appearances, tuenews launched an Instagram account, also multilingual. Weekly Zoom conferences continued—saving commuting time for some members and making participation more family-friendly. It is no longer surprising that the editorial assistant sometimes moderates meetings from her university in Finland. In-person meetings still occur: at seminar weekends or to celebrate together, such as breaking the fast during Ramadan.
By Brigitte Gisel
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