The German investigative journalism association, Netzwerk Recherche (NR), has expelled influential journalist and author Hubert Seipel after it was revealed that he received money from Moscow to write books favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
An investigation led by the German broadcaster ZDF in November 2023 discovered that Seipel, who interviewed Putin and wrote two books about him, received 600,000 euros from Kremlin-linked oligarch Alexei Mordashov.
“Seipel violated the basic rules of independent journalism with his actions and caused significant damage to the reputation of our profession,” Daniel Drepper, the chairman of Netzwerk Recherche, told ZDF.
Earlier, German journalist Seipel confirmed to ZDF that he had received “financial support through Mordashov” but insisted that “this did not influence the content of his books in any way.”
Seipel claimed he met Putin “nearly 100 times” and was one of the few Western journalists to have direct contact with the Russian leader.
His book titled “Putin’s Power: Why Europe Needs Russia?” was published in 2021, following a 2015 biography titled “Putin: Inside the Power.”
