Confronting Truths Without Prejudice: A Bare-bones Approach to Information
In an unexpected turn of events, a controversial article published in the Mannheim Amtsblatt, the city's official municipal gazette, has caused a stir. The article, penned by Julien Ferrat, a councilor in the city council of Mannheim, proposed a political education trip to Cap d'Agde to explore FKK and swinger culture and identify links for Mannheim.
The proposed trip, which included a photo of Ferrat, naked on the beach, with his voter association shield covering his nudity, promised a "unforgettable FKK-swinger vacation with an interesting political program." This unconventional approach raised eyebrows, as it seemed to contradict the editorial statute, particularly regarding local relevance, given that Mannheim is not located near a beach.
The publication of the article, however, resulted in a PR success for Ferrat, but it also sparked criticism from the CDU faction, who described it as "embarrassing." The municipal code states that there is no claim to publication of an Amtsblatt, but if the municipality decides to use it, rules of an editorial statute apply.
The specific rules and guidelines for contributions in a municipal Amtsblatt generally require that submissions have clear local relevance, pertain to themes directly related to municipal interests or activities, and comply with the editorial charter set by the municipality.
In a similar case, the Freiburg Administrative Court was called upon to evaluate a text submitted by the AfD group for the "From the City Council" section in the last October issue of 2024 in Freiburg. The text, which linked two incidents in Freiburg with the increasing foreign crime in Germany, as proven by the BKA statistics, was rejected by the editorial team of the Freiburg official gazette as it did not comply with the editorial charter.
The city administration claimed that the text complied with the rules of the editorial statute, but the Freiburg Administrative Court ruled otherwise, stating that the contribution violated the editorial charter. The judges also rejected the AfD lawyer's accusation of bias in the editorial team's decision.
Volker Haug, a professor of public law at the Ludwigsburg Administrative Academy, emphasized the importance of the neutrality of the publisher, stating that morality or an unblemished reputation of the municipality should remain outside the Amtsblatt. Haug's stance underscores the need for strict compliance with editorial standards to maintain the Amtsblatt’s integrity and legal reliability.
In summary, contributions to municipal Amtsblätter should be directly relevant to the local municipality and its citizens, address themes pertinent to municipal business, and strictly comply with editorial standards on content, language, and form to maintain the Amtsblatt’s integrity and legal reliability. For precise details, municipal Amtsblätter typically publish their own submission guidelines or editorial charters, which should be consulted directly for comprehensive and binding rules.
- The controversial article published in the Mannheim Amtsblatt, a violation of editorial standards, proposed a political education trip that focused on FKK and swinger culture, raising questions about the general relevance of the content to the local municipality.
- In the Freiburg Administrative Court, a text submitted by the AfD group for the "From the City Council" section was rejected due to lack of local relevance and violation of the editorial charter, highlighting the importance of adherence to policy-and-legislation and compliance with the guidelines when contributing to municipal Amtsblätter.
