Axel Springer CEO defends leaked messages about Trump

Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner on Tuesday defended messages to colleagues published in the Washington Post that seemed to show Döpfner supporting Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election, arguing they were taken out of context.

Why it matters: Axel Springer is trying to position itself as a centrist publisher amid a U.S. media investment spree, but the company's history and recent headlines suggest a culture gap may remain between the German publishing giant and U.S. media.

Döpfner has "never tried to influence journalists" who work for him, he said onstage at Vox Media's annual Code Conference.