Speaker Spotlight #1: How to approach interfaith coexistence
In our new Speaker Spotlight series, we seek practical insights and subject-specific expertise from journalists and media professionals. Which struggles, dilemmas or tensions do they encounter in their fields? And what tools, tactics or tips can they recommend to others to help them overcome these challenges?
In our first edition, we spoke to Shai Hoffmann, social entrepreneur, civic educator and CEO of Gesellschaft im Wandel gGmbH. The organization offers educational programs on Israel and the Palestinian territories and on the related discourses and challenges in German-speaking countries.
As a supporter of intercultural dialogue, Shai Hoffmann advocates for a variety of perspectives and an active exchange of opinions and worldviews – exactly what he would like to see from media organizations and journalists.
Which three principles have guided you in fostering respectful intercultural dialogue?
Shai Hoffmann: Creating spaces where multiple perspectives can coexist — without needing to be resolved. Taking lived experiences seriously as the foundation of trust. And staying with complexity, even when it's uncomfortable, instead of reaching for easy answers.
What is the most urgent misconception about interfaith coexistence that we need to challenge today?
That coexistence means agreement. It doesn't. It means staying in dialogue despite deep differences — learning to remain in the room with people whose realities feel incompatible with your own. That's harder than consensus. And more honest.
What role should media and journalists play in strengthening interfaith coexistence?
Stop flattening complexity into conflict. The most important voices in interfaith dialogue are rarely the loudest — media has a responsibility to find them. Nuance doesn't get clicks, but it builds trust. And right now, trust is what we're short on.
What approaches should journalists use when reporting on faith to prevent misinformation from widening social divides?
Ask whose framing you're reproducing — and whose you're leaving out. Context isn't a luxury, it's the job. A headline that simplifies a community's reality can do real damage. The best journalists know that how you tell a story shapes what people think is true.
At the DW Global Media Forum, Shai Hoffmann will join the panel “Ask a Journalist” to discuss how journalists can establish and market themselves in today’s world — and what it takes to cover major crises and sensitive stories responsibly.
