The lying press in Germany – facts and fiction

Posted by Thomas Klikauer

Following their role model and minister for Nazi propaganda – Joseph Goebbels – the neo-fascist AfD never grows tired of accusing Germany’s democratic press of being “the lying press.”

Then as now, the goal is to sow distrust in the media and to spread the perception that it broadcasts disinformation and conspiracy theories – or better: conspiracy fantasies.

The real Nazis of the 1930s, as well as today’s neo-Nazis and right-wing populists, know full well that in modern democracies the role of the media in democratic opinion-forming processes remains crucial. 

Without a free press, there is no democracy. Destroy the media, and you can destroy democracy – that seems to be the strategy.

For any democratic orientation, citizens need information they can trust. If this information is incorrect, deliberately falsified, or manipulated, democracy has a problem. In other words, people must trust the media and rely on it as part of the democratic decision-making process.

Yet the relationship between information and trust itself can become problematic – especially when information is no longer solid, or when people no longer trust it.

Through far-right propaganda, a wealth of false information circulates online, spreading easily, widely, and rapidly.

At the same time, TV channels and newspapers – despite some shortcomings – remain largely reliable sources, as established journalism continues to offer quality reporting.

To discredit this, the far-right has popularized the expression “fake news,” applying it to various forms of dubious or false information.

Politicians such as Donald Trump have also used “fake news” as a weapon to discredit opponents and unsupportive media.

Meanwhile, social science distinguishes between false information (misinformation), which may be based on error, and disinformation, which is deliberately spread.

Conspiracy theories – conspiracy fantasies – are a special form of disinformation. They are semi-plausible narratives used to explain evil by attributing it to a powerful and clandestine actor who supposedly conspires with others and is allegedly responsible for social ills or catastrophes.

If the impression takes hold that fake news lurks everywhere and that established journalists are manipulating the population – as the “lying press” narrative claims – the vital mechanisms of democratic publicity are undermined.

A recent German study sampling 1,200 people aged 18 and over found that almost half of Germans believe that fake news is rarely or never found in Germany’s quality media. Just under 16% say that fake news is common or very common there. 

So-called “alternative media” [code for far-right media], which deliberately distance themselves from the “mainstream,” appear to many respondents to be more susceptible to fake news – 61% suspect this of right-wing “alternative media.”

18% of respondents state that they often or very often encounter fake news in the media they personally use regularly. 34% say this happens occasionally, while 46% say they rarely or never come across fake news in their preferred media.

These figures suggest that a majority of the German population views information from messenger services [Twitter, now X] and corporate social media platforms [Facebook, etc.] with skepticism and caution.

For serious journalists, this presents an opportunity to recommend themselves as reliable sources – especially since many editorial offices explicitly view the fight against disinformation as part of their mission.

Among journalists, 86% say it is very or extremely important in their daily work to counteract disinformation.

While it is sometimes claimed that trust in the media is eroding, survey data from countries such as the USA or France have indeed shown declining confidence in established media in recent years.

In many of these countries, the political public sphere is more polarized than in Germany, making it easier for ideological camps to form around specific media outlets.

In such environments, far-right “filter bubbles” foster selective trust – while democratic media are framed as part of an opposing camp, accused (as Trump constantly does) of spreading “fake news.”

The situation in Germany is somewhat different, although tendencies toward political and media polarization have also existed here for years. The neo-fascist AfD, in particular, has altered public debates.

Nevertheless, there remain cohesive forces at the center of the political system and public life that have, so far, limited the extent of polarization.

Germany’s multi-party system tends to push political parties toward the center. And when it comes to major issues – environmental crises, health concerns, political scandals, or economic instability – most Germans still tend to trust the media.

According to the well-known “Mainz Study,” there has been no widespread erosion of media trust in Germany. Instead, only slight fluctuations are visible. The media rank in the middle of public confidence levels:

• Science (72%)
• Judiciary (63%)
• Media (47%)
• Bundeswehr – the army (45%)
• Politics (19%)
• Churches (14%)

In other words, trust in the media has remained relatively stable. By contrast, the churches, for example, have experienced a real collapse of trust. Over time, both the Bundeswehr and the judiciary have even gained confidence among the population.

Currently, only about 20% of people say they do not trust the media, while roughly a third say they trust it “partly.”

Unsurprisingly, Germany’s public broadcasters have consistently achieved the highest levels of trust – currently at 61%. This is precisely why the neo-fascist AfD constantly attacks Germany’s public broadcasting system.

However, changes are visible – the AfD’s anti-media propaganda has had some effect. In previous years, trust levels hovered around 70%; now they have declined to 61%. Far-right propaganda is working – to some extent.

Right-wing propaganda manifests in the accusation of the “Lügenpresse.” This has been promoted by far-right populists and extremist actors in Germany – especially since 2014/15, during Merkel’s refugee policy – and it played a central role in the far-right Pegida platoons.

In the most recent survey (end of 2024), 20% nationwide agreed with the statement that the German media “systematically lie” to the population – up from 14% two years earlier. Neo-Nazi and AfD propaganda is working.

Similarly, 24% now agree that “the media and politics work hand in hand to manipulate public opinion,” up from 21% two years earlier.

About one in five people in Germany holds an extremely negative view of the media’s work – a phenomenon media experts call media cynicism.

This describes a mindset that questions the integrity and legitimacy of established media and the entire media system. It assumes deliberate manipulation, lies, and conspiracies by journalists and politicians. Yet, media cynicism does not currently have majority support in Germany.

For journalists – many of whom see themselves as factual, critical observers and as a counterweight to the far right – such insinuations are frustrating, even if only a minority endorses them.

Still, there is approval of some well-known conspiracy fantasies in Germany: for example, 

• the claim that the terrorist attacks of September 11 were instigated by the U.S. government; 
• that 9/11 was staged by the USA itself; or 
• that pharmaceutical companies release pathogens to boost drug sales.

The proportion of Germans who believe in such conspiracy fantasies is consistently lower than those who assume collusion between politics and the media.

Belief in conspiracy fantasies fluctuates but has declined over time. Only about 6% consider it “probably true” or “certainly true” that the USA staged 9/11.

Meanwhile, around 9% of Germans believe the right-wing extremist theory that there is a “strategy for the abolition of the German people” driving immigration.

Belief in conspiracy fantasies and approval of media cynicism are both more widespread among AfD supporters than among those who sympathize with democratic parties – no surprise there.

Tellingly, people who rely on Germany’s democratic media – such as public broadcasters – are far less likely to believe in conspiracy fantasies than those who rely heavily on far-right media and online platforms.

People who believe in conspiracy fantasies tend to have low trust in Germany’s democratic media.

Unsurprisingly, younger and less-educated people are often more careless about verifying their information sources – and less able to distinguish far-right misinformation from factual reporting.

Encouragingly, however, Germany’s 18–29-year-olds show higher confidence in democratic media than older generations. This argues against an erosion of trust – and thus against a growing belief in fake news and conspiracy narratives.

In other words, the often alarmist diagnoses predicting a nationwide decline in media trust and a surge in disinformation are exaggerated – at least in Germany.

Nevertheless, from a democratic theory perspective, certain developments remain concerning. Still, overall trust in democratic media has remained relatively robust.

Many Germans are aware of the problems posed by digital platforms, Telegram groups, and “alternative” right-wing media. A large portion of the population recognizes misleading news and understands the need to be cautious about certain sources. Most people also draw from multiple sources of information.

Germany’s public broadcasting services remain a cornerstone of the country’s media stability – which, by international standards, remains high, though showing a slight decline in confidence.

Overall, despite all the negative developments – the influence of the neo-fascist AfD, neo-Nazis, and right-wing propaganda – Germany’s overall news consumption remains relatively stable.

So far, the neo-fascist AfD – unlike their great idol Joseph Goebbels – has not succeeded in convincing the German public that the country’s democratic news outlets and quality media are “the lying press.”

Unfortunately, this does not mean the AfD will stop trying: to annihilate Germany’s public broadcasting system, to infiltrate and hollow it out from within, or to continue its relentless campaign to discredit and manipulate the country’s democratic media.

Photo: (source: German public TC – https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/karlsruhe/afd-karlsruher-kritisiert-demonstrationen-gegen-rechts-100.html)

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