Der Spiegel and its founder, Rudolf Augstein, play an essential role in German press history.[3] The sheet, founded in 1947, gained importance in the struggle for freedom of the press (see the Spiegel Affair) and by exposing political scandals. It is a founding member of the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), initiated in 2016. Reporters consider it one of the leading German-language media. 005004