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'We are the voice of freedom': DW Director General Limbourg

September 9, 2025

DW's outgoing Director General Peter Limbourg says the German international broadcaster has "an agenda for human rights and democracy." As he prepares to leave the role after 12 years, Limbourg said in an interview with DW: "This is the only agenda we have, and freedom of the press, and freedom of expression."

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Limbourg spoke with DW Greek's Dimitra Kyranoudi about press freedom around the world and DW's mission to provide impartial information to its worldwide audience. The recent funding cuts to US public broadcaster Voice of America put Europe into "a new role, a new position," in which it has to "do more."

Asked about criticism of DW regarding its coverage of the conflict in the Middle East, Limbourg said on the whole, the broadcaster had not made mistakes and emphasized it was aiming to be a "more or less objective observer" of the conflict. 

Limbourg said that DW  was getting "harsh criticism and hate speech" from both sides, pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian. "So I think as long as we are criticized from both sides, we do something probably quite right."

DW's incoming Director General Barbara Massing is set to take over from Limbourg on October 1, 2025.