Günther Nenning

Günther Nenning (December 23, 1921 - May 14, 2006) was a famous Austrian journalist, author and political activist.

Günther Nenning was born in Vienna, Austria. After an excellent performance in high school, Nenning served from 1940 to 1945 in the German Wehrmacht. At the end of World War II he was arrested by US forces, but soon released on condition that he stay in the Western sector. He studied linguistics and religious studies in Graz, being promoted Dr. phil. and Dr. rer. pol. in 1949 and 1959 respectively.

He died in Waidring, Tyrol aged 84.

During his studies he started his journalistic career, first as a writer, later as vice chief editor of the socialist daily newspaper Neue Zeit. In 1958 he switched as co-owner to the cultural journal FORVM in Vienna, in 1965 he followed Friedrich Torberg as owner and chief editor, changing the name to NEUES FORVM. Nenning left the journal in 1970, handing it over as community property to a club of writers and employees. He founded a youth journal in 1973, but due to legal and financial problems had to stop it in 1975. Since the early 1970s he wrote as a columnist for major Austrian newspapers.

Joining the socialist faction of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB), in 1960 he became chairman of the Austrian Journalists' Union. Accused of intending to form his own media union, in 1985 he was expelled from the Austrian Trade Union Federation, causing hundreds of journalists to leave the ÖGB in protest. In 1990 he was fully rehabilitated, and received honors for 50 years of membership in 2000.

Nenning's political views were "multicolored", and not confined to a single party. He termed himself "Rot–grün–hellschwarzer" (red–green–light-black, referring to socialism, greens and conservatism). He participated in the protests for an Austrian media reform in 1964, in the early 1970s against the war in Vietnam, and in 1978 against the planned nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf.

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