Freiling serves as director of international affairs at ZDF German TV since 1997.
Previously he worked for publishing house Gruner+Jahr in Hamburg and has a doctorate in international law from Frankfurt university. He sits on the Supervisory board of German-French channel Arte, since 2010 is chairman of the supervisory body for the Eurovision Song Contest and since 1982 on the management board of IJP Internationale Journalisten Programme e.V., a leading non-profit for media fellowships, as well as coordinator of the Arthur F Burns Fellowships and the Ernst Cramer/Middle East fellowships.