Coincidence or not, the party has timed its congress for the centenary of an infamous Nazi rally. But condemnation didn’t stop Hitler, and it’s not enough now, says historian and journalist Katja Hoyer
The “funding” comes from advertisement on social media, which is the dominant way people, especially those most likely to fall victim to propaganda, consume news. Sure, public media still exist, but they are far less relevant.
This isn’t about “alternatives,” it’s about a failure to adequately regulate. Imagine if Der Spiegel posts an anonymous article - without verifying the identity of the author - alleging that Jews are coming to enslave your children. Yet this situation is exactly what social media are currently like, and the kind of content that spreads on there like a cancer.
It’s tempting to find the good in other people, and if they vote for obvious racists, there must be something to it other than racism. And while people are not innately evil, the vast majority can be easily manipulated by the forces of evil weaponizing people’s lowest instincts. It is those forces that should be tackled at the root, instead of letting them run rampant and ineffectively trying to quench the fires they start.
Haushalte und Firmen zahlen in Deutschland einen monatlichen Rundfunkbeitrag. Für 2024 wurden jetzt die Einnahmen bekannt gegeben: Mit insgesamt 8,74 Milliarden Euro sind sie um etwa 260 Millionen Euro gesunken.
Looks to me like influencer receive €1 billion while the public broadcasters receive €8 billion.
Many influencer also oppose the fascists.
The public broadcasters have the resources but they waste them. I can’t believe in so much incompetence. The elite wants the popularity of the AfD, without them gaining an absolute majority.
You’re missing the point, and not comparing apples to apples (influencers are only a small segment of the ad market; public broadcasters do much more than report news).
Yes, those €8 billion could be spent more effectively from the perspective of tackling fascism by stooping down to their level and flooding the waves with propaganda against fascism. This is not the situation we should want.
As long as public media remain committed to (trying to) reporting in a balanced way - as they should! - it can never compete with fascist propaganda that is not afraid to willfully lie. It is the fascist propaganda that must be tackled at its root.
influencers are only a small segment of the ad market
They are:
Der deutsche Werbemarkt wächst 2025 um knapp 5 Prozent auf 30,9 Mrd. Euro Netto-Werbeumsatz.
The quoted number above should be their share.
Yes, those €8 billion could be spent more effectively
Must be spent! By law that’s why they are collected. Not spending them on political education is the first step towards propaganda.
flooding the waves with propaganda against fascism. This is not the situation we should want.
That’s not the best way to handle it. Truthful education would have prevented the current situation.
As long as public media remain committed to (trying to) reporting in a balanced way - as they should! - it can never compete with fascist propaganda that is not afraid to willfully lie.
Balanced is already giving an equal share to lies. They have to tell how it is. If people trust them then lies lose their power.
Truthful education would have prevented the current situation.
How? An extremely tiny minority of the population has any semblance of education, it’s not realistic to expect to be able to educate the masses up to the standard required to steel oneself against an endless barrage of malicious propaganda.
Balanced is already giving an equal share to lies.
No, “balanced” means calling out lies for being lies - but the truth is still nuanced. You can’t hope to compete with simple propaganda slogans and oneliners through nuance and thoughtfulness.
How? … steel oneself against an endless barrage of malicious propaganda.
When public broadcasters are trusted they can tell what is bad and people will believe them. That trust is lost in big parts.
You can’t hope to compete with simple propaganda slogans and oneliners through nuance and thoughtfulness.
If people suffer and are isolated, they want easy answers. We created the circumstances where people don’t have time for nuances. Public broadcasters can’t and shouldn’t placate society forever. Propaganda wouldn’t be an issue if the broadcasters had prepared society for what is coming.
The standard of living in Germany is close to the highest
If you measure size of TV screens. Sport clubs are losing members, bridges are fragile, trains unpunctual, pensions are not secure, teachers cannot teach the same level of knowledge, nature will change soon. People want answers and the estsblishment doesn’t deliver.
The “funding” comes from advertisement on social media, which is the dominant way people, especially those most likely to fall victim to propaganda, consume news. Sure, public media still exist, but they are far less relevant.
This isn’t about “alternatives,” it’s about a failure to adequately regulate. Imagine if Der Spiegel posts an anonymous article - without verifying the identity of the author - alleging that Jews are coming to enslave your children. Yet this situation is exactly what social media are currently like, and the kind of content that spreads on there like a cancer.
It’s tempting to find the good in other people, and if they vote for obvious racists, there must be something to it other than racism. And while people are not innately evil, the vast majority can be easily manipulated by the forces of evil weaponizing people’s lowest instincts. It is those forces that should be tackled at the root, instead of letting them run rampant and ineffectively trying to quench the fires they start.
https://www.influencer-marketing.de/the-state-of-german-influencer-marketing-report-2025/
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/finanzen/ertrag-rundfunkbeitrag-100.html
Looks to me like influencer receive €1 billion while the public broadcasters receive €8 billion.
Many influencer also oppose the fascists.
The public broadcasters have the resources but they waste them. I can’t believe in so much incompetence. The elite wants the popularity of the AfD, without them gaining an absolute majority.
You’re missing the point, and not comparing apples to apples (influencers are only a small segment of the ad market; public broadcasters do much more than report news).
Yes, those €8 billion could be spent more effectively from the perspective of tackling fascism by stooping down to their level and flooding the waves with propaganda against fascism. This is not the situation we should want.
As long as public media remain committed to (trying to) reporting in a balanced way - as they should! - it can never compete with fascist propaganda that is not afraid to willfully lie. It is the fascist propaganda that must be tackled at its root.
They are:
The quoted number above should be their share.
Must be spent! By law that’s why they are collected. Not spending them on political education is the first step towards propaganda.
That’s not the best way to handle it. Truthful education would have prevented the current situation.
Balanced is already giving an equal share to lies. They have to tell how it is. If people trust them then lies lose their power.
How? An extremely tiny minority of the population has any semblance of education, it’s not realistic to expect to be able to educate the masses up to the standard required to steel oneself against an endless barrage of malicious propaganda.
No, “balanced” means calling out lies for being lies - but the truth is still nuanced. You can’t hope to compete with simple propaganda slogans and oneliners through nuance and thoughtfulness.
When public broadcasters are trusted they can tell what is bad and people will believe them. That trust is lost in big parts.
If people suffer and are isolated, they want easy answers. We created the circumstances where people don’t have time for nuances. Public broadcasters can’t and shouldn’t placate society forever. Propaganda wouldn’t be an issue if the broadcasters had prepared society for what is coming.
…due to a barrage of malicious propaganda.
The standard of living in Germany is close to the highest it’s ever been.
The betrayal came first.
If you measure size of TV screens. Sport clubs are losing members, bridges are fragile, trains unpunctual, pensions are not secure, teachers cannot teach the same level of knowledge, nature will change soon. People want answers and the estsblishment doesn’t deliver.