Melanie Amann is a sought-after talk show guest because of her accurate and savvy analysis. The ability to always bring an argument to an end came to her from her youth, she says. At that time, the Bonn native was a member of debating clubs and took part in several national and international competitions.
From law to journalism
At first she thought she had found her calling in law and studied law in Trier, Aix-en-Provence and the Humboldt University in Berlin. But a year of study at the School of German Journalism in Munich finally led her to her true passion: journalism. This path led the doctor of law through the Financial Times and FAZ to Der Spiegel. She worked at the political magazine for a total of 12 years โ most recently as a member and editor-in-chief from 2021 to 2025.
New ways
At the beginning of this year, the award-winning journalist moved to the FUNKE media group. There she heads the central editorial office in Berlin as โEditor-in-Chief Digitalโ together with founding editor-in-chief Jรถrg Kuos. Melanie Amann has many plans.
โMy goal is to make the FUNKE brand shine through new journalistic formats and events.โ
(FUNKE Media Group Homepage, January 2026)
One such format is her podcast, Melanie Amann Unframed. In it, she has conversations with people considered particularly provocative, such as, most recently, former Green Youth leader Jette Nitzard.
Criticism of the current federal government
Melanie Amann has covered several federal governments during her reporting career. She is surprised that the current black-red coalition is so difficult to find a common denominator in its political line.
โIs the situation in this coalition really that complicated? Letโs compare it to a traffic light, where three completely unequal partners actually had to work together. (โฆ) We have two coalition partners here who are well rehearsed and know each other.โ
(Maischberger, 04/15/26)
The journalist also attributes the poor polling results of Chancellor Merz and his cabinet to the fact that the federal government is not honest enough with voters in times of such crises.
โI think the governmentโs first job is to be honest enough to say we canโt help you in certain areas.โ
(Maischberger, 04/15/26)