Stefan Aust on Rudolf Augstein: Spiegel Founder Among Germany's Most Powerful, Targeted by RAF

Rudolf Augstein, the founder of Der Spiegel, ranked among Germany's most powerful men, hated by conservatives and dismissed as a "Scheissliberaler" by the left. Journalist Stefan Aust, a former editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel, recalls that the Red Army Faction once came to his home at three in the morning intending to shoot him. Aust insists he never took sides as a reporter, yet still provoked an RAF revenge attempt. The account appears in a piece published by the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The source material offers no further details on the date or location of the RAF incident, nor on Augstein's specific political clashes beyond the characterizations of conservatives and leftists. Aust's insistence on journalistic neutrality stands alongside the violent threat he faced, underscoring the tensions surrounding Der Spiegel during the era of RAF attacks. The article frames Augstein as a polarizing figure whose influence drew hostility from both ends of the political spectrum, while Aust's own experience illustrates the personal risks tied to the magazine's reporting. No additional names, dates, or institutions are provided in the source.