Finding the Truth Part 2
Four weeks ago I wrote about the problem of finding the truth on facebook. What brings me now back to this topic are two articles I read in the meantime. They reminded me of the struggle you could have if you, on the one hand, want to question, on the other, want to believe in mainstream media. But I would like to come back to them later and rather begin with a story about myself.
I have been a huge fan of German political cabaret for years now. I have been following tv formats like Extra 3, heute-show, Neues aus der Anstalt (which is now Die Anstalt) Pelzig hält sich, and many more. I have been looking for the newest programs and publications of e.g. Volker Pispers, Erwin Pelzig, Georg Schramm, Urban Priol, Christof Sieber etc. By bringing up everything — in their opinion — going wrong in the world, these cabaretist artists have had a huge impact on how I thought and still think today. Of course one of their main topics, besides politics, was the media — its power, its influence on the public opinion, its corruption. If you had asked me of how I feel towards mainstream media some years ago, I probably would have answered not to believe a word they say. Ok, I admit this is a bit exaggerated. I still thought media in Germany was comparably good, but I also thought it was full of propaganda. One of the only positive things I could come up with was that cabaretist artists have been able to tell these views on public-service broadcasting (which I think is worth a lot). At that point I told many people saying something about the news not to believe everything they are reading/watching, but my view has changed a bit since.
Almost two years ago the right movement named Pegida got bigger and bigger in Germany. The news was filled with the danger these protesters present to the public, while the protesters themselves spread hatred against the media, calling them Lügenpresse (eng.: liar press) — which is, by the way, also the word the nazis gave to opposing press. That was a point were I just could not be against mainstream media at all. Actually I really liked how they spoke up against people spreading hatred and fear. I could totally support Anja Reschkes comment on the news appealing to people to stand up against hate and intolerance.
Anyway, the number of people openly distrusting the press, even threatening journalists, grew — and it was surely not only rightists which stopped believing anything coming from mainstream media. In my circle of friends, who are definitely against Pegida and everything going into the same direction, scepticism and distrust increased, too (they have been mainly referring to topics like biased coverage of the Snowden leaks and the NSA scandal, the Ukraine and the Syria conflicts, and TTIP as well as CETA). Now I even started defending German mainstream media, saying they were still better and more free than media in other countries (pointing to studies by Reporters without borders) and mentioning the diversity of the German press. They are also fans of political cabaret, but unlike me (now even more) seeing it as an indicator of freedom of press and democracy to have critical voices in public-service broadcasting, they, however, argued true news were nowadays only possible if hidden in irony and satire. This disturbed me even more against the background of me seeing it similarly before. I would have possibly backed their view in the past, and now I was trying to list — in my opinion — good, critical news formats on tv other than cabaret (like monitor, frontal 21, Kontraste etc.).
What has also supported my new idea of “good media” was that media itself have noticed the rising distrust and have been concerned with explaining themselves. Dunja Hayali’s acceptance speech after receiving a price for her objective coverage of the refugee crisis was an outstanding example of why I began seeing the person behind the journalist; an individual with its own ideals. And I believe her and other German journalists when they are saying they are not restricted and influenced by the government or other big players. Of course I still think you might get further if you are fitting into the system, but if the system allows criticals journalists like Dunja Halali and Anja Reschke to be awarded, if it — besides exceptions — stands up against hate and discrimination, if the system even gives its biggest critics a stage, then it cannot be completely wrong.
The two texts that reminded me of this development towards my current opinion of mainstream media include both scepticism towards information as well as frustration of journalists as individuals. One is an interview with the (media) historian Kurt Gritsch in the online publication Telepolis about the mainstream media coverage of the Syria and the Kosove conflicts, but also conspiracy theories, the other an answer to insults against a jounalist in Die Welt. I think in the end it is good to have a mixture of healthy distrust and understanding. We will never see the whole picture, but as long as we do not just stick to one side we are at least trying to see more of it.
Further links:
ruthe.de (about journalists and the media)
MrWissen2go (#YouGeHa2016 →YouTuber gegen Hass →Youtubers against hate)
Frankfurter Rundschau (about the “liar press”)
