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When visiting Hugo Portisch in his attic on Rochusmarkt, the guest received a torrent of words, often a gift: “You have to read this book! It is incredibly exciting! It is about the rise of China.”
The whole world was interested in Austria’s most famous journalist, who died yesterday at the age of 94, to the end. With his articles, books, and television shows, he was the nation’s world explainer.
Hugo Portisch could have become even more: secretary of state, minister, even federal president. But the son of the editor-in-chief of the “Pressburger Zeitung” rejected all political questions. He was “a perfectly normal journalist,” he coquettishly said when he had long received all the honors of the industry and the republic.
He was a role model for every journalist, a kind of eternal editor-in-chief. His way of explaining complex political and economic relationships to the laity was inimitable.
“Check-Recheck-Doublecheck”
He rarely violated his motto “The truth is the strongest weapon” (also: “The truth is our gag”), for example, when he invented an interview with Julius Raab as an employee of the Austrian intelligence service in New York after the Second World . War.
The Chancellor could not speak English and some American journalists really wanted to ask him questions; the answers, secretly written by Portisch, ended up on page 1 of the New York Times.
In 1955, Hans Dichand, then editor-in-chief, brought him to the newly founded “Kurier” as an associate. After Dichand’s departure, Portisch became editor-in-chief in 1958. He introduced strict rules for employees (“Check-Recheck-Doublecheck”), but was also an advocate of the popular broadcasting initiative with the editors-in-chief of federal state newspapers, which led to broadcasting reform under Gerd Bacher.
In 1967 he moved to ORF as chief commentator, and quickly became their flagship.
Whether it was street battles in Paris, the suppression of the “Prague Spring,” or the rise of China, Portisch did what a good journalist does: go there, watch, talk, write.
For his contributions to historical consciousness he was awarded the Karl Renner Prize, the State Prize, the Chamber of Gold and a “Romy”. Of his many books, one non-political sold particularly well: in 1989, he and his wife Gertraude wrote the volume “Pilzesuchen – ein pleasure.”
His autobiography was reprinted on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Its title: “It was always exciting.” – That certainly applies to your full life and the job Hugo Portisch left.
Article of
Christoph Kotanko
Startup Policy Editor
