Everything that was published years after the Chernobyl catastrophe could refer to a great deal of substantial material and facts in retrospect. But during the catastrophe, the reporting was partly characterized by ignorance, a lack of facts and the undermining of information, by speculations, fears and rumors. And that is exactly what this book is about: day by day reports as things were happening, the struggle for information, the development of glasnost in the Soviet media and a look back from today´s perspective.

Overall, this book is a small contribution to the realistic handling of journalism in crises at a time when there was neither the internet, nor mobile phones, nor e-mails or satellite television. And even free telephone connections were not allowed for Western correspondents in the Soviet Union.

Studied Slavonic and Balkan languages, History of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in Munich and Zagreb. 1983-1994 Correspondent in Moscow and Vienna (for Southeast Europe). 2002-2014 Radio Director of the Bavarian Broadcast Corporation (BR) in Munich. Honorary Professor for Eastern European Studies, Culture and Media at the University of Bamberg.