The Peculiar Audience Niche For Ranting

Michael Hedges September 23, 2019 - Follow on Twitter

Television remains the dominating news source throughout the world. This, despite efforts of those feeding social media with news, views and outrageous disinformation, will likely last for another two decades, maybe more. Maybe less if Facebook develops direct links to human minds.

For now television broadcasters significantly invested in satisfying their audience’s news demand confront several dilemmas. First, obviously, is how to stay sharp as a tack when the loudest critics go off the rails. All else pales before this except, perhaps, imposition of martial law. Loud, right or wrong, attracts attention. Every television broadcasters knows this.

The ZDF television council met recently to discuss an internal report critical of the channel’s coverage of Saxony and Brandenburg parliamentary elections, reported regional public broadcaster MDR (September 16). ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen - Second German Television) is a public broadcaster established as an alternative to ARD, the national collective of regional public broadcasters that offers national news programming. (See more about media in Germany here)

The highlight of the criticism was an aborted interview with AfD candidate for the upcoming election in Thuringia Björn Höcke who yelped about the questions, such as his using “phrases that are reminiscent of Nazi vocabulary.” Known for expressing anti-Semitic views he squealed and ranted “there will be no interview with me for you” and stormed away yelling about “massive consequences.” AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) is a far-right populist political party known for xenophobia and disquiet, mostly in eastern States, about economic and cultural issues. AfD candidates increased voter share in the early September elections in the two eastern States but failed to win outright. No other German political party will invite AfD into coalitions. Regional elections in Thuringia, also an eastern State, will be held at the end of October. (See more about elections and media here)

“Do you cover that or do you distance yourself from it?” asked ZDF news director Peter Frey, quoted by Tagesspiegel (September 19). "We did not want a scandal. We wanted a post that dealt with the language of the AfD, the language of Björn Höcke.”

"ZDF will continue to report on the AfD and ask questions in the interest of the voters," said the official ZDF statement. "The focus will also be on topics such as climate, pensions, education or health policy. Racist, anti-Semitic or otherwise anti-democratic statements will be highlighted in the coverage.” Regional broadcaster WDR journalist Georg Restle answered that, saying AfD should be offered “no big stage.”

“We are always weighing which topics are relevant and whether AfD representatives need to be invited to discuss them,” said MDR (Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk Central German Broadcasting director general Karola Wille, to FAZ (September 14). “We discuss this question every time we post, every time we broadcast. Anyone who has something to say should be heard. But we can not let untruths go unchallenged.” MDR is the regional public broadcaster serving Thuringia, Saxony and Saxon-Anhalt.

Herr Höcke has been invited to appear on a MDR interview program with other candidates ahead of the Thuringia elections. Dr. Wille said wants the channel to “confront right-wing populism” and serve as “the voice for the East.”

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