COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - Former RTL anchorman Peter Kloeppel has been honored for his life's work in the "Journalist of the Year 2024" awards. This was announced by "medium magazin".

The jury's statement on the 66-year-old's award states, among other things "Peter Kloeppel has shown how professional, serious journalism can reach viewers even in a commercial tabloid channel. That's no small feat in private television with its commercial conditions."

To this day, Kloeppel's work is characterized by a remarkable ability to convey complex topics in an understandable way while always keeping the interests of the viewers in mind. "At the same time, his reports and moderations testify to a deep understanding of journalistic responsibility that puts the cause before his own vanity."

Born in Frankfurt, he was chief presenter of "RTL aktuell" from 1992 to August 2024. From 2004 to 2014, he was also editor-in-chief of the Koln-based private broadcaster.

In previous years, Günter Wallraff, Bettina Gaus, Gisela Friedrichsen and Claus Kleber, among others, were honored in the "Journalist of the Year" lifetime achievement category.

All other results of the election for the "Journalists of the Year 2024" will be published in "medium magazin" on December 18. The unendowed prize has been awarded by a jury of the trade magazine in eleven categories since 2004./bok/DP/ngu