Heribert Prantl

Heribert Prantl (born 30 July 1953 in Nittenau, West Germany) is a German author, journalist and jurist (former judge, prosecutor and lawyer). At the Süddeutsche Zeitung he was head of the department of domestic policy from 1995 to 2017, head of the department "opinion" from 2018 to 2019, member of the chief editors from 2011 to 2019 and is now columnist and author. Since 2002 he has been a lecturer at the faculty of law at Bielefeld University, where he was appointed honorary professor in 2010.

Early life and family Prantl was born in Nittenau in Bavaria on 30 July 1953. A stipendiary of the Catholic "Cusanuswerk", he studied law, philosophy and history at the University of Regensburg and earned his juris doctor. Afterwards he studied journalism and worked as a judge as well as a public prosecutor.

Work as a journalist In 1988, Prantl started working for the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) in the department for domestic policy with focus on legal policy. In 1992 he was promoted to deputy head of the department and 1995 he became the head of the department. He continues to work at the SZ as a writer and columnist, writing a weekly column on political and societal issues under the headline Prantls Blick for the paper's weekend edition. He also publishes under his own name and website. In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, Prantl said he did not believe in rigid pension regulations, especially not in the journalism profession.

Considered a social liberal by many, Prantl has achieved a reputation of being a defender of a liberal and cosmopolitan society that respects the basic rights of all people.

Other work

Apart from his work as a journalist, Prantl is a critically acclaimed author of political commentary, especially concerning basic liberties and the rule of law. He also appears often on ARD radio stations as a commentator for current domestic affairs and the ARD programme Presseclub.

Prantl is also a lecturer for journalism at the Akademie für Publizistik in Hamburg and at the Institut zur Förderung publizistischen Nachwuchses in Munich. He has also been a member of the UNICEF National Committee of Germany, European Law Students' Association Germany Chapter advisory board, and Reporters Without Borders Germany Board of Trustees.

Awards 2006: Erich-Fromm-Preis (together with Hans Leyendecker) 2012: Brothers Grimm Prize of the University of Marburg