Critical reports often caused legal persecution. In 1962, police arrested a
Panorama team in
Geldern for filming for a report about a teacher who had been an SS guard under the Nazi regime. In fall the same year, members of the federal government criticised
Panorama for "torpedoing" its measures ("Maßnahmen der Bundesregierung zu torpedieren"). In 1974, when
Peter Merseburger ran the magazine, a report about an abortion by
Alice Schwarzer, at the time a criminal act, was cancelled by authorities (
Intendantenkonferenz) last minute. Merseburger did not moderate the broadcast in protest, and a speaker read his texts. After a series of reports in 1978 about the
Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant, the NDR was terminated. In 1988, a lawyer of
Oskar Lafontaine prevented a critical report minutes before the broadcast began. In 2003, the former chancellor
Helmut Kohl evaded a question from a
Panorama reporter, saying that
Panorama had "nothing to do with journalism" ("Ich habe überhaupt nicht die Absicht mit Ihnen 'n Interview (zu machen […] Sie sind doch von „Panorama“ [...] Wissen's doch, was das heißt. Sie haben doch mit Journalismus nix zu tun.“). == Awards ==