If you’re able to, consider supporting our strike fund. Your donations help replace lost income for the freelancers who create more than half of The Berliner’s content 🩷

www.gofundme.com/f/raise-stri...

What we're asking for is simple:

- A transparent, public editorial policy
- Removal of the Nova Festival Exhibition ads from all platforms

Many of us have spent years - some even decades - ensuring The Berliner is a trusted space for independent English-language journalism in Berlin. Seeing that work compromised, and our voices dismissed, has been heartbreaking.

Every proposal we made to protect the magazine's editorial integrity was refused. The silence from management since then has only deepened concern for the state of a publication we loved.

We took this step reluctantly - but out of necessity. Management’s decision to run ads for the Nova Festival Exhibition, combined with months of restrictions on Palestine-related coverage, sent a clear message.

We’ve set up a strike fund to support writers, illustrators, proofreaders, and other contributors who’ve foregone pay for November. Many are full-time freelancers sacrificing a significant portion of their income.

Please consider sharing or donating if you can 🙏🏼

www.gofundme.com/f/raise-stri...

That’s what makes this so devastating — the ads and preceding “neutrality” policies undermine everything we’ve built and the integrity of our work as journalists.

Our strike is a refusal to let management blur the line between ads and editorial.

I joined The Berliner as the Love & Sex Editor last year to build up the Carnal Knowledge section, once dismissed as “trivial,” and create reporting that treats difficult subjects seriously.

Working with people who trusted me with their stories has been the highlight of my career.

Oooh this one has been on my list forever! Seems like a sign to finally dive in thanks 💖

Very late, but thanks to all the ace Berliners who reached out to be interviewed for this article 🥰 The response was incredible and I can’t wait for you to read it in less than two weeks!

And yes, the current logo is pure AI slop and temporary 💀 If you’re a graphic designer with reasonable rates and fun ideas, get in touch!

For 5+ years, I’ve reported almost exclusively on sex tech, and I’ve been in the European startup scene as a software engineer even longer. Along the way, I’ve collected tons of interviews and research that never made it into my published work.

So, I’m making a space to share them.