Axel Krause: clarification

Back in January, I posted about ex-IHT journalist, Axel Krause.

Here's what I wrote:


International Herald Tribune "Where are they now?" : Axel Krause
This is only for old-timers but anyone remember Axel Krause, side-lined into Sponsored Sections and other vague pojects by John Vinocur back in the early 1990s if memory serves me?But Axel is still going strong, here quoted by a Libe Blog on Sarko's press management style.http://contrejournal.blogs.liberation.fr/mon_weblog/2008/01/axel-krauze-la.html
Posted by Ian at 08:11


I received an anonymous comment, fleshing out some info about what Axel is up to now (to which I posted my own comment suggesting that Anonymous might indeed be Axel himself).

Anonymous said...
Axel Krause is also contributor to TV5 MONDE's excellent weekly news magazine "Kiosque": http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/kiosque/intervenant.php?id=12

Subsequently it has been brought to my attention, what the exact role of Axel Krause at the IHT was, and what he is now up to. In fact, from an email from Axel, so I am happy to clarify matters further.

Here's what Axel wrote:

+ In 1987, as Bob McCabe, the paper's first corporate editor, returned to the news operation, I, as you recall then economics correspondent, became his successor with the support of not only John Vinocur but the publisher, Lee Huebner. As John's announcement to the staff described the move, "Axel Krause goes on loan from the editorial department to the publisher's office as corporate editor."

+ Maintaining my journalist's status, and with the support of Lee and others on the staff, I proposed and helped launch and editorially supervised the IHT series, sponsored by a group of multinationals, "1992- The World's Rendezvous With Europe." The series, which ran from 1988 to 1992, drew wide praise for its editorial quality, and brought in, according to Lee, some $1 million the paper would not otherwise have generated.

+ Meantime, I worked closely with the conference department in London, helping develop themes, find speakers and regularly moderating the conferences around the world, occasionally filing news stories when no correspodent was available. And perhaps, when you cite "other vague projects," you may be referring to the IHT's plans for launching a weekly television news program for the US, with the NYT and the Washington Post and PBS; the plans for the project in which I, among others were actively involved, were advanced, anything but vague, and dropped only when the Times expressed reservations.

+ In short, it was an exciting, productive assignment.

+ Finally in response to your question about posting, this is my first written response to your web which I enjoy reading. And, PS, my role as a regular contributor to TV5's "Kiosque" program is only one of my current activities - I remain secretary general of the Anglo-American Press Association since 1992; I remain a contributing editor of Transatlantic Magazine in Washington and board member of the French Economic and Financial Writers Assn, going back many years, and have other activities you can find via Google or Who's Who in France; nothing anonymous about any of them!

Now, if I were a proper journalist I would fact check all this and verify from independent sources, but I'm not, this site is not the IHT and I am happy to take Axel at his word. This type of biography is, I know, the sort of thing that can find its way on to Wikipedia, and get people upset, but again, nor is this blog Wikipedia.

Axel's biography is now out there in the ether for all to find.

My apologies for my previous vagueness and any suggestion of 'side-line-lyness'.