Reaction to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's report: ZDF wants to "reflect" on its journalistic approach to the AfD

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution 's decision to classify the entire AfD as "certainly right-wing extremist" could impact the reporting of public broadcasters (ÖRR). " ZDF is taking the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's classification of the AfD as certainty right-wing extremist as an opportunity to reexamine its journalistic approach to the party," a ZDF spokesperson told the Berliner Zeitung. "Against this backdrop, a critical, journalistically sound examination of the AfD, its representatives, and their positions is necessary."

Last Friday, outgoing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser ( SPD ) announced the AfD's upgrade. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) is an agency of the ministry that is bound by instructions. However, the new report on the AfD, which the intelligence agency had been working on for more than three years, is to remain confidential. The BfV only reported its new assessment in a press release. The reason for this is the "extremist character of the entire party that disregards human dignity." The AfD is fighting the decision legally.

Against this backdrop, several online petitions are calling on the public broadcaster to treat the party differently. For example, AfD politicians should no longer be invited to programs on ARD and ZDF. Andreas Audretsch, the Green Party's deputy parliamentary group leader, also expects consequences. As reported by Tagesspiegel, the politician is annoyed that AfD leader Alice Weidel was repeatedly allowed to "spell out" her remigration plans on the public broadcaster. Regarding the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's decision, he said: "This should finally put an end to the path of normalization and provide an opportunity for critical reflection, including in editorial offices. There must be no equal treatment."

ARD takes note of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution’s classification

ZDF now intends to "also draw on the experiences from the federal states of Thuringia , Saxony , and Saxony-Anhalt," where the AfD's regional chapters were classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" some time ago. "Within the framework of journalistic responsibility, ZDF editorial staff continually and on a case-by-case basis examine the context and form in which AfD representatives are featured in the program," said the broadcaster's spokesperson.

The ARD is more reserved in its comments. "We are taking note of the current classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and will report on it," the broadcasting association's press office told the Berliner Zeitung. The AfD is a democratically elected party. "It unites many voters regionally and nationwide. It is represented in the Bundestag, in state parliaments, and at the municipal level. In our view, it is the task of journalism to inform and assess social and political developments."