Some time ago Olaf Przybilla, correspondent of the Süddeutschen Zeitung, asked for an interview with our founder Pia Beckmann.

10 years ago, her term as mayor of Würzburg ended narrowly in a runoff election. The head of SZ's Franconia office in Nuremberg wanted to know how she is doing, what she thinks about various issues and why pics4peace exists.

Here is a short excerpt from the interview:

PB: .... There are problems with communication in our democracy, also between the generations. We have to overcome them with new ways.

SZ: You are a trained linguist.

PB: Language makes politics. And to an extent that we are often not even aware of. The way something is expressed, what we hear and read, directly affects our brains. Like a glue that binds ideas together until they are solidified. This is what we call frames. The word "wave of refugees," for example, conceals the fact that it's about people on the run. The word "abuse cases," on the other hand, conceals the fact that it's about sexualized violence against children and young people. Those who realize - and this works through language - that in each case it is about people in need of protection will take more targeted action. Language is never innocent. It creates realities.

Interview as pdf in the press review (Presseschau) or directly to the interview in the SZ