State and press: Germany’s joint fight against disinformation

Deepfakes, strategic disinformation campaigns, hate speech, and messenger services that defy traditional classifications are some of the major challenges confronting the media, the State, and civil society in Germany. As technology advances inexorably, these issues demand urgent and multifaceted responses. 

Germany’s approach has been multipronged, with the Bundestag (the German parliament) and media organisations leading efforts to protect both press freedom and public trust. While the Committee on Digital Affairs is driving parliamentary work in this field, media organisations such as the German Press Council, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, and Reporters Without Borders work to ensure the media remains both free and fair.

Germany’s efforts to regulate online media services

The Committee on Digital Affairs, a 33-strong body comprising members of the Bundestag, takes an interdisciplinary approach to digitalisation and connectivity. It plays a key role in shaping Germany’s digital transformation. The Digital Services Act, which came into effect last year, provides the legal framework for Germany’s efforts to regulate online media services and protect consumer interests.

A representative of the Committee on Digital Affairs and of the German Bundestag and a former journalist who entered the Bundestag in 2009 explains: “We deal with regulation of AI and the financing of journalism and how disinformation, hate crime online, and hate speech on the internet can be fought.” 

While the committee addresses issues related to internet access and the German government’s national and international digital policies, it is also grappling with challenges posed by technological developments that go beyond the current legal framework. One such issue is whether messenger services should be included in the Digital Services Act. “The spread of disinformation, especially through public channels, has increased significantly. And we see this problem. Therefore, it is also being checked if messenger services, for example, can be included in the Act. We’re currently discussing this,” says a committee member.

Some members, however, argue that private interactions on messaging platforms must be protected. “On the one hand, it is a social network with public channels and thousands and thousands of subscribers. And on the other hand, it has this one-to-one communication. So that makes it difficult. But we all basically agree that it (messenger services) passed the line to a social network and has to adhere to the same standards as the other social networks,” a member of the committee says. 

The committee is also debating the use of biometric surveillance by police in public spaces while insisting that it cannot be at the cost of one’s privacy and basic rights. Biometric surveillance by police in public spaces remains controversial, drawing criticism from civil liberties activists. However, Germany has enough institutional safeguards to keep the State in check. One such institution is the German Press Council, which was established precisely to counter government attempts to regulate the press.

95% of the German publishers have committed to the Press Code

Responsible for preserving both press credibility and freedom, the German Press Council consists of publishers and two journalists’ organisations. According to a representative for Complaints Work, German Press Council, about 95% of German publishers adhere to the Press Code—a set of ethical guidelines for journalistic work. 

The council addresses readers’ complaints about reports in newspapers, magazines, and online portals and monitors compliance with journalistic ethics, according to a representative.

The council looks into readers’ issues and gets respective newspapers’ responses before its complaints commissions, comprising journalists and publishers, assess each case and decide on the need for sanctions. The sanctions range from advisory notices and formal disapprovals to public reprimands, which must be widely published.

Where does free press stand in Germany? 

Meanwhile, German journalist associations help prevent information vacuums that could foster misinformation. The Federal Press Conference—an association of full-time journalists founded by parliamentary correspondents in 1949—organises press conferences with political, business, and cultural leaders. It also facilitates thrice-weekly government press conferences, allowing journalists to ask spontaneous questions to official spokespersons.

Reporters Without Borders, the German wing of Reporters Sans Frontieres, supports persecuted journalists and their families through its emergency aid centre. 

“We support journalists in the environment they work in and provide research facilities. In Germany we provide funds for lawyers and bail if necessary, provide medical assistance after abuse and support families of journalists in order to keep the system running. Reporters are supported by us when they venture out to cover the most dangerous stories, especially in war zones, and work to expose organised crimes and corruption,” says the public relations officer of Reporters Without Borders. She adds that they operate in a variety of areas to protect press freedom and protect the reporters in a variety of ways. 

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, another key non-profit organisation, works on the basis of the European Charter on Freedom of the Press and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. “We act as an alarm system to promote, preserve, and defend media freedom and raise our voices when there’s any atrocity against a journalist,” said a representative of the organisation.

Germany’s vibrant media landscape is further enriched by initiatives such as Lage der Nation (State of the Nation), a political podcast on the latest political events, presented by former judge Ulf Buermeyer. Since March 2016, the weekly show has been reported to have attracted an estimated 7.5 lakh listeners at least once a month. “People like to listen to the show because we try to decipher what makes politics work in Germany. We are an independent body that does its research and conveys facts to the public in the most unbiased way. We want to protect freedom of debate by showing how it is being manipulated by the powers that be,” says the political podcaster.

(The writer was recently in Germany for a themed trip on ‘Freedom of Media in Germany’ as a part of the visitor’s programme of the Federal Republic of Germany)