Directly, unfiltered and without the critical questions: how political parties in Germany want to appeal to potential voters. Independent journalists as the “fourth estate” should be excluded. So some of it starts to shake.
A TV camera in the Deputy’s office allows your own news recordings
Politicians interviewing politicians as if they were journalists – unthinkable a few years ago. But recently that is what happened. In a Video on YouTube lit room, sat in a mood full of two political celebrities: the Right of the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, personally, to the left of the group, the Chairman of your party in the Bundestag, Ralf Brinkhaus. “It’s good that we can do the Interview,” he said, and you asked for memories of the autumn of 1989.
Who is not familiar with Ralf brinkhaus, and are likely to be many – could, first, accept, the left seats are a Journalist and would be surprised that he is on intimate terms with the “dear Angela” even. At first glance, there is no indication that it is a party colleague. It is only in the small print description you can read that the Union faction leader leads the “Interview”.
Misunderstandings factored in
The creators deliberately focused on the risk of Confusion with formats of professional journalism, says Frank Everywhere, head of the German journalists Association (DJV). So they wanted to give themselves more authentic. Parties or authorities produce their own journalistic content, is now also in Germany the Trend, Everywhere. “Why critical journalists give an Interview, if you can make it yourself?”.
Denounces violations of its borders – Frank Everywhere, the head of Germany’s largest journalists organization
The press is regarded as the “fourth power”. Your task is the control of three other State administration, the Parliament and the courts – and all of those who pursue their own political interests, such as political parties.
“Lord, on the own images”
As in the spring, the new CDU-Chairman, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, often STH is called, had been invited by the “Association of the foreign press” in the party headquarters, gave their press office, the meeting surprisingly as a “background conversation” – in the jargon, it’s “under 3”. No quotes may be used from the conversation. The Public should be as noticed as little as possible. Press photographers were explicitly encouraged. The foreign press gave to the confidentiality rule. But the party did not. After the meeting, several photos from the Meeting were tweeted – all in-house photographer. “AKK, in a conversation with 100 foreign journalists in the CDU Headquarters” in the Tweet.
What is behind this behavior? Here is another example. For a technical discussion on migration issues, journalists were not with the note inside left, there is a Livestream, so a direct transfer. But AKK then made another reason. The CDU was “Lord of the own images” and have produced “news”. In this direction it’ll go next, it was “modern political communication”.
Parties copy media
Both of these events fit into the picture – experts call this “Message Control”. In order to get the control over content, be established a so-called “Newsroom of the future”, so the news departments in the press. A pioneer of the populist AfD was. The same with enter the Bundestag in the autumn of 2017, the AfD began, a large media Department, including “the Newsroom” build. The party wanted to avoid the classic journalists, because they saw these displayed incorrectly. “The alternative media we are.”, Mario Hau, head of Social Media Department, said in an interview with DW.
The populists are upgrading to digital. If your Bundestag post members something, give it to thousands of profiles, the wear in the width, says the policy, and digital expert Martin Fuchs. District associations, delegates, Fans – all are a part of it. The sets also Mainstream parties are under pressure.
The SPD has set up a Newsroom, from the FDP, it is reported. Also in the CDU party headquarters in Berlin will be torn down literally to the walls. Facebook, TV, Instagram, Twitter, a dozen employees will soon tell the Central of a “Newsroom” of what the party and control of the Medium who best achieve this. In the case of the CDU in the business to get things done anywhere in the country soon, less administrative tasks and more on social media to engage.
Parties to reach an audience that reads no newspaper and no TV watching. These are potential voters that were previously only found on expensive election posters away. Now you get political messages in the network directly on the screen.
If politicians do not ask the critical questions of journalists, it is a democracy Problem
“No News, but the misnomer”
What looks at first to adapt to the digital age, is not without risk. The term “the Newsroom” was a “euphemism, a misnomer”, writes Frank Everywhere from the German journalists Association (DJV). Because “News” would be set with messages. “But a party may not make any journalistic message.” It is the claim, well-balanced and not only interest-led is missing. Critical questions that undermined the core business of journalists. What did the parties, is Public Relations, i.e. public relations work.
Legally the is hard to put in a little to to – parties in Germany enjoy great liberties. For the work of the parliamentary groups, however, there is a limit: you are allowed to spend your money only for things that relate to your parliamentary work, but not the party itself. Not always the disconnect, however, sharply distinguished from each other.
The DJV tried that already no longer, a public debate on. If parties or authorities should permanently appear awakened, you may create journalistic products, will be discussed. Direct legal funding is the largest journalists organisation. For a tightening of laws there is a need for more public pressure, says the DJV-chief Anywhere. That is the Trend for “the Newsroom” is not just a Problem for journalists, but it should be all aware of. Finally, this could be “counterproductive for democracy.”