A Look Behind The Headlines: Visiting the Süddeutsche Zeitung Printery

Returning to the Süddeutsche Zeitung printery this semester felt like a déjà vu, but in a good way. Having personally already visited it in the winter semester with our old class, I knew my way around, the sounds of the machines and the almost unnoticeable moves of the lift that was taking us to the higher floors of the building. Now, the second experience gave me a more colorful (as the sun was still up) and fresh perspective on the precision and quality of Germany’s most influential newspapers.

Our tour began with a brief and warm introduction of our guide, whom I was familiar with from our last visit. We were introduced to the SZ and its work, history, work ethics and the role it plays in the German society. Being known for its professionalism and on point news, it was no news the editorial process of the news is precise, but also goes on quickly.

After the introduction, that was additionally enriched by interesting prints from the previous years, my favourite being the BMW ad with matte paper details, we moved on further in our visit by entering the heart of the printery full of brisk, noisy but astonishing machines, that were checked by the handful of afternoon shift workers, that were keeping an eye on the quality of the print.

The end of our visit was finished with a small but a very thoughtful gift – a print of the next day’s newspapers and the first one ever made by Süddeutsche Zeitung from the 1945.

Overall, my experience was very much identical to my first visit during December. The same way there, the same seat during the introduction and the same reflective vest and headphones whose left ear did not work proeprly. Yet this time, I found myself paying more attention to the details, as the sun was shining through the big windows and the mood felt much easier. It was nice refreshing my memories from the end of last year and reminding myself of the importance of the people behind the scenes.