On 2 July, the FührungsFrauen Westpfalz network visited Die RHEINPFALZ in Ludwigshafen. The event was hosted by our network member Birgit Schwarz, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and News Editor. The visit gave our participants the opportunity to go behind the scenes at one of the region’s largest media companies and gain first-hand insights into the day-to-day work of journalists, as well as the role of women working in journalism.

The event began with a welcome address by Jutta Metzler, member of the Executive Board of ZRW and Vice President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She welcomed the participants and thanked Birgit Schwarz for the invitation and her warm hospitality. In her opening remarks, she referred to current figures: although women now account for around 60 percent of journalism traineeships, they still hold fewer than 40 percent of leadership positions in journalism (as of 2025). She emphasized that journalism plays a vital role in reflecting a diversity of perspectives, making it all the more important for women to be represented in leadership positions within the profession.

Afterwards, Birgit Schwarz took the participants through her personal career journey. She has been working at Die RHEINPFALZ for around 30 years and spoke openly about her experiences in journalism as well as her current role as Deputy Editor-in-Chief and News Editor. Her presentation highlighted the wide range of responsibilities involved in this position: from production planning and digital topics to legal matters, many different strands come together in this role. For her, it is a field of work that brings new challenges every day and has been a source of enjoyment from the very beginning.

The participants also gained fascinating insights into entering the journalism profession. Birgit Schwarz explained the selection process for the traineeship programme at Die RHEINPFALZ and shared details about the demanding interview process. Currently, eight trainees are completing their journalism training at the company; however, many applicants compete for these limited positions. At the same time, Die RHEINPFALZ, unlike many other publishing houses, has been able to maintain and even expand its workforce in recent years.

Another key topic of the evening was equality. Birgit Schwarz shared her personal experiences and emphasized that she had never felt disadvantaged because of her gender throughout her professional career. In her view, the company places great importance on equal opportunities and equal pay. She attributed the continued higher proportion of men in leadership positions, among other factors, to the fact that significantly fewer women apply for these positions.

At the end of her presentation, she shared a piece of advice with the participants that has guided her throughout her own career for many years: to enjoy their work, to embrace new challenges again and again, and, above all, to always “stay human.”

The next stop was the Oggersheim printing centre, where the participants had the opportunity to witness the printing process of a newspaper that would already be delivered the following morning. What was particularly impressive was not only the precision with which the production process is carried out, but also the enormous logistical effort behind each edition. From the large rolls of paper and the highly automated printing presses to the on-time distribution, it became clear how many individual steps have to work together seamlessly to ensure that the newspaper reaches readers at 6 a.m. sharp.

We would like to sincerely thank Ms Schwarz for this successful and inspiring event, which even gave us the opportunity to hold the freshly printed newspaper for the following day in our hands!