[1] Between 1981 and 1989 he was chief editor of Tribüne [de], the weekly newspaper of the Free German Trade Union Federation.
The frontier dividing Germany from Poland had moved west, and Simon was among the millions of Germans who had been relocated as part of the process.
[1] He served an apprenticeship with the newspaper Neuer Tag in Frankfurt an der Oder during 1954/55 before taking a position as a junior editor and foreign news section leader for Tribüne, the weekly newspaper of the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB): between 1963 and 1967 he served as a member of Tribüne's editorial collective.
On 15 September, he was appointed chief editor of Tribüne, in succession to Claus Friedrich,[3] remaining in the post till 1989.
On 23 September 1981, he was co-opted for the 14th session of the FDGB executive committee and elected to membership of its presidium,[4] another function which he retained till 1989.