Maria Exner studied Journalism in Munich. She trained as a journalist in Berlin and worked as a reporter for the WELT Group. After completing her Masters in Sociology at the London School of Economics, she became ZEIT ONLINE's culture editor in 2011. From 2014 to 2020 she was deputy editor-in-chief of ZEIT ONLINE, developing magazine journalism and innovative digital projects for ZEIT ONLINE and DIE ZEIT. In 2021, Exner became editor-in-chief of ZEITmagazin. Since 2022 she has been the founding director of Publix, a new Berlin-based cultural institution and organization with the aim of strengthening independent and non-profit media and critical discourse. In 2023, she was a Thomas Mann Fellow in Los Angeles, studying the interdependencies between journalism, technology, and democracy. She has received numerous awards for her work on journalism and polarization.

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