Team
Charles Ashton
Covering the latest in news and controversy on Germany´s political stage has always been something Charles has enjoyed. “People and Politics”, produced weekly opposite the German parliament, offers just the right stage for probes into German policy-making – be it through in-depth, incisive reporting or interviews.
A whole team of dedicated reporters and authors guarantee the show´s journalistic consistency, which is just as reliable as the boats ferrying along the Spree River in the background !
The production site – set in the heart of Berlin´s government and parliamentary district – sets the tone of the programme which also seeks to showcase and explain political developments affecting Germany and Europe.
Charles and his colleagues are seasoned watchers when it comes to Germany´s recent political history. Perhaps the most challenging task was covering the collapse of communism in East Germany. Charles vividly remembers reporting live for radio from the roof of a transmission truck next to the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate. When he asked two nonplussed East German border guards when the Gate would be opened to the West they mumbled something about losing the key…
With the advent of German unity and now the challenges facing the people and the politicians as they grapple with unemployment and the impact of globalisation, reporting from Berlin has become even more multifacetted: a development mirrored in the wide range of DW-TV´s programming and political coverage as presented in “People and Politics”.
On a more personal note: Charles Ashton was born and bred in London, and he tries bravely to mask his London,cockney accent , though he can´t help slipping in a certain ironic accent every now and then!.
He studied political science and German history at the universities of Bonn and Freiburg. Travelling is one of his favourite hobbies - and trying to understand the mentality of the Berliners as they wrestle courageously with Berlin's role as a major European metropolis.
A website he thoroughly recommends is www.swp-berlin.org: the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, with English reports and analysis.
