Juggling Journalism German Ambassadorís Wife Balancing Motherhood, Writing Career by Gail Scott Some ambassadors would rather not have the media around. Others enjoy being interviewed and consider members of the media their friends. But few trust even their best media contacts enough to include them in private dinner parties where the conversation is "off the record." However, one top Washington ambassador has no choice: German Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger. Jutta, his wife of three years, is a well-known German journalist and author who normally covers politics and, in fact, met her husband during an interview. Although her stories for the German weekly Rheinischer Merkur still carry her maiden name, Jutta Falke, it is no secret that she is the wife of Germanyís ambassador in Washington. Whether she is writing about Michael Mooreís "Fahrenheit 9/11," reviewing books on President Bush and John Kerry, or writing a "From America" viewpoint on German politicians, she is still outspoken and writing on the edge. "I donít see myself just as an ambassadorís wife," said Falke-Ischinger. "I still feel and think also as a journalist." And, as if being a working political journalist in this political town and the wife of one of Washingtonís busiest ambassadors wasnít enough, she has just had a babyóand itís her first. "Iím ignorant in baby care," said the smiling 42-year-old blond mother who admits having a baby "a bit later in life" poses its own challenges, especially because she plans to keep writing. "Although Iím not working full time, I donít want the baby as a replacement or excuse. Iím pretty sure I will be overwhelmed, but I donít want to define myself [only] as a mom Ö I want to continue my life, my work." Part of her work these days is a German-American Scholarship Fund that she initiated a year ago, inspired by the D.C. school systemís Embassy Adoption Program and funded by DaimlerChrysler and other German corporations. After careful selection and entrance exams each year, three gifted but economically needy Washington school children are chosen to attend a summer language camp in Minnesota and the German School until graduation. "It costs astonishingly little," she said, referring to the $6,000 annually per student for school and transport. "And I think that inner-city kids deserve such a chance." We were sitting in what was originally called the "menís lounge" when the less personal German residence opened 10 years ago this fall to mostly negative reviews, especially back home. Falke-Ischinger, who drives around town in an open-air Jeep, has been heralded with single-handedly "finally putting a heart" in the giant residence with additions such as her Berlin Bar, her childrenís parties by the residenceís reflecting pond, and her open-air "beer garden" on the front lawn. For six weeks this summer while other diplomatic couples enjoyed their vacations away from Washington, Falke-Ischinger remained in the German residence on Foxhall Road to await the Sept. 7 arrival of their baby girl, Josephine Virginia. She said that dealing with her pregnancy, commuting to Georgetown University Hospital three times a week, and forcing herself to take the prescribed bed rest have given her the opportunity to see another side of America. "This pregnancy has allowed me to meet a lot of Americans I never would have met and given me very different insights," she said, referring to the kind nurses and hospital personnel she has met "while you wait for hours at the hospital." She explained that the way people react to pregnancy in Germany and the United States is very different. "In Germany, itís a more private experience. Here, you express your feelings much more easily." Now, Falke-Ischinger said she is thinking of writing an article detailing the differences between the two countries. "The whole health system [including payment procedures and insurance coverage] does not compare to Germany, and it is not always easy to find your way there," said the new mother, who said she tried not to pull rank "as an ambassadorís wife" in Georgetown University Hospitalís At-Risk Pregnancy Unit. "To share these very personal experiences with my readers would be a departure for meósort of a coming-out story." In Germany, not only are there no baby showers, there are no gifts whatsoever before the baby is born because it is considered bad luck. Only at the christening do family and close friends bring gifts, usually in the form of "silver, something small and expensive, and something for eternity, maybe engraved. And the men might go drinking with their pals," Falke-Ischinger said. All of this talk about babies made me ask the first-time mom if she missed covering the recent political conventions this summer and churning out stories on the contentious U.S. presidential race. Falke-Ischinger explained that it is not just the baby that has kept her off journalismís front lines. "I am envying my media colleagues who can throw themselves into the battlefield," she said, touching her tummy. "But if I did a profile on Kerry or Bush, that would be ëacross the line.í" She explained that as the German ambassadorís wife, she has to avoid political stories that "you canít do without having some personal angle," which could be seen as a reflection of her husband or the German government. "I envied my husband going to the conventions," she added. "There are so many differences between American and German politics. Here, the spouses tend to be more in the spotlight, women introducing their husbands, and the dynasties and the families like the Bush clan, the Kennedy family and the Heinz family Ö and all the children showing up," she observed. "The idea of [German Chancellor] Gerhard Schroederís fourth wife introducing him would be totally unthinkable. Here, it is sometimes like being in a monarchy where the grand old families rule the country." By comparison, "our political conventions seem rather provincial and small," she said, "and much less glamorous. They are about party programs, and the party itself plays a bigger role." Germany has many women in government positions, but they attend the conventions in an official capacity, according to the seasoned political observer, not because they are married to the candidate. Known for having a strong will and self-discipline to "carve out time for myself," Falke-Ischinger said she "never asks permission" before she picks her next topic. Usually, her stories go straight from her computer to her editors in Germany without passing under her husbandís gaze or through the approval maze at the German Embassy. Ambassador Ischinger agrees. He told The Washington Diplomat that their early morning routine, before the baby was born, always began with reading five newspapers in bed while they shared a pot of coffee and listened to National Public Radio (they donít have a television in the bedroom). During this "news briefing," they read stories out loud to each other and surfed the pages together, discussing the news of the day. "She knows there is a red line, and there are certain things she doesnít do, places she canít goÖ. You know she writes under a different name, a pen name, when necessary," the ambassador said. "She stays out of sensitive issues that might offend, and for a journalist, thatís a sacrifice. My concern is not that her stories would raise eyebrows in my government. I am more concerned that some journalism colleagues, the German press corps here for instance, would claim that she has a place of advantage Ö that she gets the news first." So does she advise him on media issues? "She tells me when I ask her. She doesnít try to influence me. It has been enormously great to add an additional media consultant to my staffóin fact, in my own house and unpaid," Ischinger said with a laugh. "It helps and reassures me to have a professional journalist, a trained media person to check with and consult. We diplomats are not journalism-trained. By our very nature we are not media savvy, but we can benefit by having someone of experience who knows how to communicate." After three years of his wifeís advice, "I know to make my sentences shorter, speak more simply," he said. "Media here is sophisticated. I need to know what message to deliver at what time with what audience. This is a city where the media is represented by the best and the brightest. You have many great journalists in this city and they are smart. You are also competing with a lot of other news, so itís a greater challenge." In these days of public diplomacy and nation branding, this veteran diplomat understands that "hiding from the media was diplomacy of the 19th century, not the 21st century. We are around to communicate and participate." So how does his wife juggle story deadlines and official diplomatic duties, no less a baby? "I live a privileged life," Falke-Ischinger said candidly, "and after three years here, Iíve finally learned I donít have to say yes to every luncheon." Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.