Giovanni di Lorenzo

Not to be confused with the footballer Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Giovanni di Lorenzo

Giovanni di Lorenzo (born March 9, 1959) is a German-Italian journalist. Editor-in-chief (since 2004) of German nationwide weekly newspaper Die Zeit and former editor-in-chief of Berlin's liberal daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel (1999-2004; has since retained the position of publisher). Additionally di Lorenzo is a prominent talk show host for the Radio Bremen show 3nach9 airing monthly on NDR.

Biography

Giovanni di Lorenzo was born March 9, 1959 in Stockholm, Sweden to a German mother and an Italian father. He spent his early childhood in Rimini and Rome, Italy. After his parents' separation, he and his mother moved to Hanover, Germany. He is a citizen of both Germany and Italy.

At the age of 15, upon seeing an episode of 3nach9 (transl. 3 past 9, named after its regular airing time) on the family’s first black-and-white TV-set, di Lorenzo allegedly announced his wish to someday host the show. Today, after nearly 16 years on the job, di Lorenzo is the longest serving host on 3nach9.

In Hanover di Lorenzo attended the Ratsgymnasium and the Tellkampfschule, from which he graduated in 1979. During his senior year of high school, an internship at Hanover's daily newspaper Neue Presse prompted di Lorenzo to pursue a career in journalism. He continued working for Neue Presse until 1982. It was there where he met his future mentor Michael Radtke. His first article was published under the pseudonym Hans Lorentz, because the editor in charge believed his name to be a pen name and felt it sounded too construed.

Di Lorenzo attended Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he majored in communication studies, modern history, and political science. His Master’s thesis was entitled Strategy and Ascent of Private Television in Italy Exemplified by the Networks of Silvio Berlusconi (orig.: Strategie und Aufstieg des Privatfernsehens in Italien am Beispiel der Networks von Silvio Berlusconi) and earned him the highest possible grade.

Personal life

Di Lorenzo is a passionate cook. Learning how to cook, he stated, was an "act of self-defense," as his mother was not particularly talented in the kitchen. After their move to Hanover, di Lorenzo quickly felt the need to emulate his father, who is also a good cook. Because of his demanding work schedule, he now often lacks time to go about his hobby, something he deeply regrets.

Di Lorenzo is a citizen of both Germany and Italy. In the aftermath of the European Parliament election on May 25, 2014, he said on a talk show that he had voted twice, once in the Italian consulate and again in a local German school. It was quickly pointed out to him that every EU citizen was allowed only one vote, and that he effectively admitted to voter fraud on national television. He soon made a statement that he was unaware of the law in this case (even though Die Zeit ran an article pointing it out just days earlier) and apologized.[1]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ 'I voted twice' in EU poll, says German newspaper editor − Chicago Tribune May 26, 2014 (retrieved May 27, 2014)

External links