“Lügenpresse” and Klagemauer.TV
An insight into neo-Nazi media in Germany
After Brexit, Donald Trump being President-elect of the United States, the AfD gaining more and more support in Germany and Pegida shouting “Lügenpresse” from the top of their lungs, it becomes obvious that right-wing extremism is something we (unfortunately) need to take more serious again. Recently, I read a study by Katharina Neumann and Philip Baugut called “Neonazis im Scheinwerferlicht der Medien”. It is a study on how right-wing extremists in Germany use the media, how they inform themselves and what their reactions to media contents are. Regarding the fact that everybody is affected heavily by media since they are our only source of information, and regarding the fact that extreme right-wing ideology is a huge threat to democracy, I think that it’s crucial to understand how these extremists use media and how they are influenced by them.
Surprisingly, neo-Nazi organisations in Germany do actually consume “mainstream”media content although they constantly mark them as being infiltrated propaganda. The crucial point is though that not all neo-Nazis consume mainstream media. Only opinion leaders, people that rank quite high in the hierarchy of the scene, in fact read newspapers, watch the Tagesschau and scroll through online articles just like any of us do on a regularly basis. These leaders then create internal extremist news media in which they use information from the mainstream media and convert it into highly emotionalised stories to help underpin their ideology. These internal media, which then are consumed by the broad base of neo-Nazis, prevent the “ordinary” right-wing extremist at the bottom of the hierarchy to be confronted with critical viewpoints on his ideology.
Just so you get an idea of what I’m talking about: One of these internal media outlets is Klagemauer TV which claims that public service broadcasting is manipulating people willingly, that climate change doesn’t exist and that teaching about gay and lesbian sexualities would destroy our children’s morals. Anything that supports neo-Nazi ideology and that is “proving” the accusation of “Lügenpresse” is celebrated. Believe me, I watched a few of their video clips and now I don’t know whether to be amused or to feel sick.
Although being exposed to internal media as Klagemauer.TV, it is nearly impossible for any neo-Nazi not to realise that their ideology, their “truth” so to say, is never depicted positively in the mainstream media. When we hear about right-wing extremists, reports usually are full of dislike, showing how violent they are and how stupid their ideology is. Doesn’t that make them reflect on their mindset? Doesn’t that make them wonder if maybe their racist attitude is not the non-plus-ultra?
No, it doesn’t, argues Katharina Neumann in her study. To neo-Nazis, the mass media is the ultimate enemy. The stronger, the more violent they depict you, the better. It’s an “us-vs.-them” kind of mindset. Also, mass media usually don’t focus on substantial arguments of the extreme right-wing ideology. They report on neo-Nazis rather superficially and usually don’t take them serious at all. Unfortunately, this is often comprehended by the neo-Nazi scene as if the media was afraid of questioning neo-Nazi arguments because they were too powerful. Therefore, these superficial media reports unintentionally install even more self-confidence among the extremists.
I know, the ideology of hate in the neo-Nazi scene probably sends shivers down your spine, and believe me, it’s the same with me. However, now that the populist movement is gaining such approval, we and especially journalists need to look more closely at the different aspects of this ideology and write reports based on a well-founded content analysis in order to unmask how dull, narrow-minded and dangerous these neo-Nazi ideas really are.
