Local newspapers in Germany's southwest have started a campaign with the strange slogan "Jedes Wort wert," translated as "My newspaper is worth every word."
Strange indeed, for German readers generally have confidence in black-on-white print media along the lines of the statement of Faust's famulus in Goethe's theater play:
Fake news pollutes the political climate, and so many a man accuses the media as the source of all evil. Long-gone civilizations killed the messenger bearing bad news. Would a silencing of the sources be a remedy against fake news? Was there not a statement regarding the revoking of TV licenses?
Visiting the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) as a student, Red Baron experienced the making up of "facts" by communist trade union officials during a political discussion. Suddenly I found myself in a situation producing fake news, too. There is no excuse, but as a young man, helpless as a kitten on the roof, I tried to beat my adversaries with their own weapons.
It is honorable that my local newspaper claims it is worth every word. Although I spend some time reading the Badische Zeitung after breakfast, the significance of its printed information* is quite variable. Browsing the NYT and Der Spiegel online makes printed national and international news in the BZ generally outdated. So I start with the arts and culture section, followed by local news, although reports on traffic accidents do not interest me since they are interchangeable.
*My subscription includes the electronic version too. So when away from home, I am informed about what is happening at home.
While up to now, fake news in the German press has rarely been an issue, our media are instead accused of manipulating the news. Well, this is no news; haven't the media always done this? In particular, their biased reporting is said to have strengthened the new right-wing AfD* in the run-up to our recent general election.
| Denn was man schwarz auf weiß besitzt, kann man getrost nach Hause tragen. | What we possess in black on white, We can take it home in confidence. |
Fake news pollutes the political climate, and so many a man accuses the media as the source of all evil. Long-gone civilizations killed the messenger bearing bad news. Would a silencing of the sources be a remedy against fake news? Was there not a statement regarding the revoking of TV licenses?
Visiting the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) as a student, Red Baron experienced the making up of "facts" by communist trade union officials during a political discussion. Suddenly I found myself in a situation producing fake news, too. There is no excuse, but as a young man, helpless as a kitten on the roof, I tried to beat my adversaries with their own weapons.
It is honorable that my local newspaper claims it is worth every word. Although I spend some time reading the Badische Zeitung after breakfast, the significance of its printed information* is quite variable. Browsing the NYT and Der Spiegel online makes printed national and international news in the BZ generally outdated. So I start with the arts and culture section, followed by local news, although reports on traffic accidents do not interest me since they are interchangeable.
*My subscription includes the electronic version too. So when away from home, I am informed about what is happening at home.
While up to now, fake news in the German press has rarely been an issue, our media are instead accused of manipulating the news. Well, this is no news; haven't the media always done this? In particular, their biased reporting is said to have strengthened the new right-wing AfD* in the run-up to our recent general election.
By spreading the story that members of the party were mistreated, the media pushed them into the role of victims. Through their provocative right-wing statements and actions, members of the AfD deliberately place themselves into the position of martyrs seeking the pity bonus. Dealing with the AfD is a no-win situation, for ignoring them will make them pitiable, and attacking them politically will lead to endless debates and situations similar to what I experienced in the GDR.
*Alternative for Germany
The first showdown with the AfD at our newly elected Bundestag ended in a stalemate. Each parliamentary group, i.e., the party represented in the federal parliament, has the right to propose a house speaker who will be deputy to the speaker presented by the party with the most seats. The "main" speaker, second in line to our federal president, is generally endorsed by most of the other members of parliament.
At the opening session of the new Bundestag, most deputies of the other parties refused the accreditation of the AfD's candidate for deputy speaker on three consecutive ballots, pushing the guy into the role of martyr. His stigma? He had violated Article 4 of our constitution (Grundgesetz) about religious freedom by denying people the right to practice their Muslim faith in Germany. Sadly, this is not fake news.
Frederick the Great living in the 18th century was more tolerant, writing in his rudimentary German: Alle Religionen sind gleich und guth, wan nuhr die leüte, so sie professieren, ehrliche leüte seindt, und wenn Türken und Heiden kähmen und Wolten das Landt pöplieren, so wollen Wir sie Mosqeen und Kirchen baun, Fr. (All religions are equal and good as long as the people adhering to them are honest people. And if Turks and heathens came to populate the land, we will build them mosques and churches, Frederick).
The first showdown with the AfD at our newly elected Bundestag ended in a stalemate. Each parliamentary group, i.e., the party represented in the federal parliament, has the right to propose a house speaker who will be deputy to the speaker presented by the party with the most seats. The "main" speaker, second in line to our federal president, is generally endorsed by most of the other members of parliament.
At the opening session of the new Bundestag, most deputies of the other parties refused the accreditation of the AfD's candidate for deputy speaker on three consecutive ballots, pushing the guy into the role of martyr. His stigma? He had violated Article 4 of our constitution (Grundgesetz) about religious freedom by denying people the right to practice their Muslim faith in Germany. Sadly, this is not fake news.
Frederick the Great living in the 18th century was more tolerant, writing in his rudimentary German: Alle Religionen sind gleich und guth, wan nuhr die leüte, so sie professieren, ehrliche leüte seindt, und wenn Türken und Heiden kähmen und Wolten das Landt pöplieren, so wollen Wir sie Mosqeen und Kirchen baun, Fr. (All religions are equal and good as long as the people adhering to them are honest people. And if Turks and heathens came to populate the land, we will build them mosques and churches, Frederick).
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