AFAICS it's not a leak, but a regular freedom of information request. And I'm not too familiar with how German media works, but if it's anything like the Dutch national broadcaster, it's not actually the states that are pursuing this, but journalists on their own accord.
>there is independent media/press in germany, the article was not produced by any government entity.
Perhaps, but the public broadcasting channels (Öffentlich-rechtlicher Rundfunk) aren't part of this. You can predict their reporting and spin with good accuracy depending on which political party they're aligned with (SPD -> ARD, CDU -> ZDF, NDR -> Die Grünen).
I'm sorry, I didn't want to imply that it's like Russia Today or similar. § 26 of the Act kinda forbids that and the work they do is usually superb and important. Especially in countries that lack democratic media.
There is however a difference and you can see it on articles as the one above. I'm sure no journalist was pushed to release this article in this way but this is what happens when you're funded by the current Government and have to report something they won't like. You just leave out certain information here and there and with that you change the overall tone of the information.
This is the article by the main news outlet of the normal German public service on the same topic:
> I'll simply wait for an independent source from another country to report on any such story.
Which countries specifically? I know that German-speaking news outlets aren’t any less partisan, and I have little reason to think that the rest of Europe is much better.
> The only difference I see from your description is that in Germany it is not the media following the politics, but rather the politics following the media.
It works the same as everywhere. The state is reliably broadcasting a constant stream of press releases and other information. If you're a journalist, that's a good source in your day to day work.
It’s not pertinent. The journalistic draw of a years-old case and judicial mechanics. Everyone has a pet agenda that seems irresponsibly ignored by the media and the public. Procedural developments are rarely big news.
Well, German intelligence can't spy on Der Spiegel legally, so getting tips from a friendly intelligence agency as to who is leaking info to the press seems to make a lot of sense.
Funny - "It infringes the freedom of the press." I don't know about Germany, but in the US freedom of the press allows them to publish stuff, it does not force people to read it.
"Reportedly" means that they've had a report (from Der Spiegel, who claims sources in the German police.) What you're doing here is simply lying. What it seems you want journalists to do is to report what they've heard as truth, and to disguise their sources.
Or are you saying that Der Spiegel isn't a legitimate source and shouldn't be reported on? It's unintelligible.
.. just a quick reminder for anyone outside of dictatorships: there is independent media/press in germany, the article was not produced by any government entity.
> I'm German. Public broadcasting, including ARD/ZDF but also countless of local radio station is without a doubt significantly better in quality than BILD/RTL or other private tabloid media
Better than FAZ, ZEIT, Spiegel? That's the private media you should compare the news sections to, and I have some doubts that anybody thinks Public Broadcaster by and large have a similar level of journalistic integrity & quality.
AFAICS it's not a leak, but a regular freedom of information request. And I'm not too familiar with how German media works, but if it's anything like the Dutch national broadcaster, it's not actually the states that are pursuing this, but journalists on their own accord.
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