Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler

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A screenshot of Der Schwarze Kanal, featuring Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler speaking

Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler (April 28, 1918 - September 20, 2001) was an East German journalist, propagandist, and host of the television show Der schwarze Kanal (German: The Black Channel) from March 21, 1960 to October 30, 1989.

Born in Berlin and the son of a Prussian aristocrat, Schnitzler attended a boarding school at Bad Godesberg and studied medicine and business at Cologne university. He joined the youth organisation of a local socialist party in 1932.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Schnitzler enlisted in the Wehrmacht, but was captured by British forces in 1944 following the Battle of Normandy. After his capture, Schnitzler began to work for the German-language wing of the BBC. He was dismissed in 1947 after being accused of spreading communist propaganda.

Schnitzler returned to the Soviet occupation zone of Germany and joined the Socialist Unity Party in 1948. During the 1950s, he worked on a number of smaller television shows before Der Schwarze Kanal. The programme was designed as East Germany's answer to the West German anti-Communist programme Die Rote Optik ("The Red View").

As host of Der Schwarze Kanal, which ran for 20 minutes every Monday night, Schnitzler edited together extracts of Western television footage and recorded caustic, virulently anti-Western commentary over it. The show was particularly derisive towards West Germany and what Schnitzler perceived as Western imperialism across the world. His vitriolic style earned him the nickname Sudel-Ede - "nasty Eddy".

Schnitzler became a member of the central committee of the Society for German-Soviet Friendship in 1978. In that same year, he also became a professor at the University of Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg.

He died of pneumonia in Zeuthen on September 20, 2001.

An interview with von Schnitzler can be found in the book Stasiland by Anna Funder.