Correctiv false statements - Exclusive: Scholz, Faeser and Tagesschau do not want to apologize for spreading them

Berliner Zeitung Correctiv false statements - Exclusive: Scholz, Faeser and Tagesschau do not want to apologize for spreading them Anne-Kattrin Palmer • 4 hours • 4 minutes reading time Mass demonstrations against the right dominated the headlines a year ago, while politicians took a strong stance against the mass deportations and expatriations of Germans allegedly planned by the right. The so-called secret meeting in Potsdam caused a stir. Many media outlets took up Correctiv's allegations more or less without checking them, as did Tagesschau and other public broadcasting formats. But doubts soon arose about the validity of the serious allegations. The Berliner Zeitung reported early on about inconsistencies and the lack of evidence. Now, a year later, Die Zeit has also examined the core statements of the article about an alleged secret meeting in Potsdam and has come to sobering conclusions. According to witnesses, the statements published by Correctiv, for example about a right-wing extremist "master plan to expel German citizens", cannot be confirmed. Although right-wing extremist Martin Sellner spoke about possible ways for migrants to remigrate in Germany, the idea of ​​depriving people of their German citizenship was not part of his speech. This has brought considerable criticism to the research magazine - as well as to politicians. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, and also Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier based their campaigns against the right last year on inaccurate information. For months, politicians and the media discussed the "secret plan against Germany" (title of the report), the allegedly planned "expulsion of millions of people from Germany" (Correctiv statement) - including German citizens with a migrant background. A connection was also made to the "systematic extermination of the Jews" under the Nazis. Following the current developments, a participant in the meeting in question is now publicly demanding an apology for the premature judgment. After debate on data storage - In the ZDF-Moma, CSU woman sharply counters Faeser's accusation: "Inappropriate, wrong" In addition, there were numerous lawsuits against the Correctiv report and follow-up reports from other media. The participants are now taking legal action for the first time against key statements in the Correctiv report. The lawyer Ulrich Vosgerau, who took part in the meeting in Potsdam, and others have filed lawsuits with the Hamburg Regional Court against what they believe to be false claims in the article, confirmed Cologne lawyer Carsten Brennecke to the Berliner Zeitung. These are directed against the media house and the journalists responsible for the report. In an interview with the Berliner Zeitung, lawyer Vosgerau is now also demanding "a public apology from the Federal Chancellor, the Federal Minister of the Interior and the Federal President for a public prejudgment". The misleading reports from the Correctiv platform have often been adopted without reflection in politics. The Berliner Zeitung asked the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Foreign Office and the Federal President's Office, and confronted the politicians with their statements at the time. At the time, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of legal consequences and appeared at a demonstration against the right in Potsdam alongside Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. A government spokeswoman told the Berliner Zeitung on Thursday: "The Federal Government is taking note of the further reporting on a meeting between AfD politicians, protagonists of the New Right and entrepreneurs that took place on November 25, 2023 in the guest house on Lehnitzsee in Potsdam/Brandenburg. The statements made by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz following the publication of this on January 10, 2024 in "CORRECTIV" speak for themselves." Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser also had harsh words a year ago. After the well-known meeting between the AfD and right-wing radicals in Potsdam, she was reminded of the planning of the Holocaust, and said in an interview: "This involuntarily brings back memories of the terrible Wannsee Conference." She does not want to equate the two. "But what is hidden behind harmless-sounding terms such as 'remigration' is the idea of ​​expelling and deporting people en masse because of their ethnic origins or their political views." And she is sticking to that, said a spokeswoman when asked by the Berliner Zeitung. "The statements made by Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser speak for themselves." Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who invited and honored Correctiv employees, also took a position a year ago when he said: "When our democracy is attacked, a line has been crossed that puts differences aside." And he called for resistance: "Then the democratic center, the vast majority of our society, must take a stand." Across companies, culture and society, it must be made clear: "We will not allow extremist pied pipers to destroy this country." The authors also received several awards, including "Journalists of the Year." The Federal President's Office has not yet responded to the Berliner Zeitung. The Federal Foreign Office has also not commented. But media outlets such as Tagesschau do not want to correct their claims from back then. When asked, NDR simply said: "We are aware of the current reporting, nothing has changed in the facts," a spokeswoman told the Berliner Zeitung. According to Welt, Correctiv itself wants to stick to its statements despite the current reports - even though the report by the investigative magazine has been refuted again and again for a year. Because they spread false factual claims based on the misleading Correctiv report, court bans were issued against the NDR with its "Tagesschau", the Campact association with its internet portal, the ZDF with its "heute journal", the SWR and most recently Hamburg's Green Party, according to lawyer Carsten Brennecke from the Cologne law firm Höcker. In addition, several dozen cease-and-desist declarations have been signed, the lawyer told the Berliner Zeitung. Correctiv is now threatened with having to reimburse two main plaintiffs for legal costs of around 16,000 euros. He goes on to say: "Correctiv has fooled the public, the media, politicians and the people - right down to a constitutional law professor who wrote legal articles based on the report in order to obtain a ban on the AfD." This was a threat to democracy. Next, the state-funded, non-profit investigative magazine must explain why it misused its funds, consisting of donations and tax money, which were actually intended to promote independent journalism, for court cases, said the lawyer.