RTL Group | Cologne, 05/11/2023

‘Diversity Week’ On The Topic Of Inclusion At RTL Deutschland

Creating visibility for diversity in all of its facets is the aim of RTL Deutschland’s second “Diversity Week”. This year, from June 19-25, the topic of inclusion is spotlighted in the comprehensive content offers, from TV to radio and print magazines as well as social media. The TV documentary “Heute nicht” by star photographer Jim Rakete about the children’s hospice in Bielefeld-Bethel, which Bertelsmann has been supporting for many years, will be part of the program.

As part of the second “Diversity Week”, RTL Deutschland spotlights the topic of inclusion in its comprehensive content offers from June 19-25. The theme week is part of RTL Deutschland’s “Vielfalt verbindet” (“Diversity Unites”) initiative, which attracts attention to diversity issues and promotes community, tolerance and equity across all media. “Diversity Unites” aims to create visibility for diversity in all of its facets because it is fundamental in an open society.

“With the launch of our initiative we moved many things last year and stimulated more social tolerance,” said Mirijam Trunk, Chief Sustainability and Diversity Officer RTL Deutschland. “Almost half of the viewers stated after the first week that they had come into contact with realities of life they were not aware of before. I am therefore very pleased that we are dedicating all of our cross-media power to the topic of inclusion this year. Insecurities, language and a lack of knowledge build barriers we can only overcome together as a society; role models and visibility for people with mental and physical disabilities can help. As a media company, we can make a contribution right there. Our media partnership with the Special Olympics this summer also establishes a framework to give the topic of inclusion the stage it deserves.”

Diversity Week at RTL Deutschland

In the week starting June 19, RTL will comprehensively report on inclusion in its news and journal shows. For “RTL Aktuell”, sports presenter Monica Lierhaus will report from the Special Olympics – the world’s largest inclusive sports event – on several evenings. On June 19, she will take over the sports presentation in “RTL Aktuell” for one evening; on June 20, she will discuss the match and the Special Olympics with Florian König during the DFB international match in Gelsenkirchen.

TV documentary about the Bethel children’s hospice

On June 23 and 24, RTL up and Vox up will present the German premiere of “Heute nicht” (“Not Today”), a documentary by star photographer Jim Rakete about the children’s hospice in Bielefeld-Bethel. Since 2006, Bertlesmann has been donating €25,000 each year to the palliative team “Der Weg nach Hause” (“The Way Home”) and the children’s hospice of the Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel to support severely ill children in the region. The film accompanies a young girl suffering from muscular dystrophy who views her life with impressive joie de vivre. In a “Nachtjournal Spezial” edition on June 22 on RTL, Frauke Ludowig will talk about the documentary with Jim Rakete.