Censors a local journalist who interviewed AfD member, submits report to law enforcement agencies
In a move that has sparked discussions in Aachen, the Lippische Landes-Zeitung (LZ) has redacted and fact-checked an interview with AfD mayoral candidate Jirka Möller. The newspaper identified several of Möller’s statements as potentially “unconstitutional” or indicative of “far-right extremist tendencies.”
The LZ team inserted italicized fact-checks throughout the interview to challenge or correct Möller’s claims. For instance, they dismissed his reference to a “New World Order” as a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory and clarified the party’s legal status regarding extremism classification. The team also flagged other controversial remarks relating to immigration, gender policies, and sovereignty as either false or potentially criminal.
This editorial approach reflects a broader trend in some German regional media, which openly criticize and exclude the AfD in political coverage due to concerns over extremist rhetoric. The LZ publicly announced its intent to comment on AfD interviews by labeling falsehoods and reporting possible criminal statements going forward.
However, the AfD district association in Aachen accuses the LZ of bias, censorship, and filtering political coverage to limit neutral public debate. They perceive the newspaper's actions as biased against their party and believe that who is invited to election forums depends on how positively the editorial team writes about a party.
The Aachener Zeitung, on the other hand, maintains that they report objectively and neutrally on events, but have a clear opposition to the AfD. An editor from the Aachener Zeitung has stated that they comment "very, very clearly" against the AfD. The AfD district association in Aachen accuses the Aachener Zeitung of controlling political reporting "through a filter."
The exclusion of the AfD from 16 election forums during the municipal election campaign in Aachen further fuels these concerns. This decision by the Aachener Zeitung is raising questions about neutrality in political reporting.
Jirka Möller, the AfD mayoral candidate, is a 53-year-old family man and trained cook who has lived in Extertal for six years.
References: [1] Lippische Landes-Zeitung. (2022). Retraction and fact-checking of the interview with Jirka Möller. [2] Aachener Zeitung. (2022). Editorial statement on coverage of the AfD.
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