Thuringian AfD denies ARD "Monitor" access to party conference
The ARD political magazine "Monitor" will not be allowed by the AfD to report on the Thuringian state party conference. The public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), which is responsible for the magazine, criticized this and announced that it was considering legal action against the refusal of accreditation for the state party conference, which begins on Friday.
The ARD broadcaster emphasized that it was highly questionable that "a party represented in parliament denies journalists access to a party conference because it does not agree with the reporting." WDR Editor-in-Chief of Politics and Current Affairs, Ellen Ehni, said according to the press release: "The cornerstone of a democratic society is that the media can report freely on politicians and parties."
"Revelation of an extreme right-wing AfD state association"
Zur Vollständigkeit hier die Begründung: pic.twitter.com/IRvRujR9Gi
— Stefan Möller🐀 (@MoellerAfD) November 15, 2023
The state spokesperson for the AfD Thuringia, Stefan Möller, shared his reasons for the exclusion on Platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Among other things, he emphasized that it was in the interest of the party to report on party conferences. Acceptance ends "when there can no longer be any talk of journalistic reporting". Möller also wrote of "crude propaganda".
AfD rejects DJV criticism
The German Journalists' Association (DJV) protested against the party's decision. DJV national chairman Mika Beuster said that the AfD was "demonstrating its dysfunctional relationship with press freedom and critical journalistic reporting". Previously, space problems had been used as an excuse to keep journalists away from AfD party events. "Now the AfD has let the cat out of the bag." It is disregarding the freedom of broadcasting and the press.
In response to a dpa inquiry, the AfD rejected the DJV's criticism and stated, among other things: "Representatives of various media, including both public broadcasters, have registered for the meetings from Friday and will of course be admitted." Many of these media outlets are known for their highly critical stance on or reports about the AfD - which is also their right.
- The decision of the AfD to deny access to ARD's "Monitor" at their Thuringian state party conference has sparked criticism from various media outlets, including the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), which views it as a threat to press freedom and democratic values in journalistic reporting.
- The AfD's exclusion of media parties from their event has been criticized by the German Journalists' Association (DJV), with national chairman Mika Beuster labeling it as a "demonstration of the party's dysfunctional relationship with press freedom and critical journalistic reporting."
- The controversy surrounding media access at AfD events has also drawn attention to the role of public broadcasting organizations like ARD and WDR, which have a responsibility to uphold principles of media diversity and independent reporting in the face of potential political censorship from parties like the AfD.
Source: www.dpa.com
