Stefan Aust is a renowned German journalist, born to a farming family, who dropped out of school without a degree to pursue his passion for sociology and journalism. He initially gained recognition with his early journalistic works and later became the editor of the left-wing newspaper "konkret" in 1966. Aust's career took a significant turn when he joined Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in 1970, where he directed the program "Panorama" from 1972 to 1986.
Aust's international recognition came in 1985 with the publication of his non-fiction book "The Baader-Meinhof Complex". This was followed by the establishment of SPIEGEL TV in May 1988, which was a pioneering effort in German television, being the first private political magazine format. The program focused on current economic and political issues, and Aust was often seen as the presenter.
Throughout his career, Aust received numerous awards and accolades, including the "Adolf Grimme Prize" in silver in 1989. He also published several books, including "Mauss - a German Agent" in 1988 and "The Pirate" in 1989. In 1994, Aust was appointed editor-in-chief of the news magazine DER SPIEGEL, leaving his position as editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL TV.
Aust continued to rise to prominence as a journalist, publishing several books, including a treatment of the September 11th terrorist attacks. He remained interested in domestic politics, law enforcement, and economic issues. In 2005, Aust announced plans to start a new digital TV channel, SPIEGEL TV - XXP Digital, which was later sold to Discovery Channel.
Aust continued to work in television, moderating the weekly magazine "Zeitreise" on the "Premiere" documentary channel "Discovery Geschichte" and receiving the "Golden Camera" award in 2005. He was also involved in the creation of the program "Fall Deutschland", which won the "German Television Prize" in 2005.
In 2007, Aust resigned as managing director of SPIEGEL TV GmbH and became the editor of the program. However, his contract was not extended beyond 2008, and he was released in February 2008. Aust went on to hold a half-stake in the agency agenda media GmbH and produced and presented several programs for Sat1 in the run-up to the 2009 federal election.
Stefan Aust currently lives privately with his wife and two children in Hamburg-Blankenese and runs a riding stable with a Hanoverian stud in Armstorf near Bremervörde. He acquired a 26% stake in N24 Media in 2010 and became the new editor of the daily newspaper "Die Welt" in 2014. Aust received the Ernst Dieter Lueg Prize in 2016 and the Lower Saxony State Prize in 2018.
