The German leftist investigative journal that became infamous for scaremongering by spreading fabricated stories about the national conservative Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is gearing up for another smear campaign ahead of February’s snap election.
Correctiv has sued Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, to force it to release its report on AfD’s alleged extremism ahead of time for it to influence the election’s outcome, Junge Freiheit (JF) reported on Wednesday, December 4th.
The leftist media company’s narrative makes it seem like BfV was deliberately stalling the release of the document to hide its findings from the public, which Correctiv claims to be unlawful during a campaign period according to unnamed but “well-known constitutional lawyers.”
The problem is that there is no indication that the intelligence agency has finished the report—or is even actively working on it at the moment. The only thing we know is that the BfV earlier this year said it would publish one, likely by next summer.
“Correctiv, which already embarrassed itself with fabricated deportation plans for German citizens, is now suing to obtain a supposedly non-existent report on the AfD,” Christine Anderson, one of the party’s longest-serving MEPs, told The European Conservative. “Yet another desperate attempt to pose as a guardian of truth while its own credibility is in freefall.”
According to JF, Correctiv must have speculated that BfV’s new report would take an even more severe stance on AfD and would classify it as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization—a move that might even provide ground for leftist parties to try to ban AfD from participating in the election—and it is trying to ramp up pressure on the agency to finish and release the report.
Correctiv’s editor-in-chief David Schraven sticks to his narrative, saying that the BfV “refused to provide any information on the contents” despite “intensive efforts” from the company. “The Office is obliged to provide comprehensive information to the public, especially in the run-up to elections,” he said. “It is important now. Not at some point in the future.”
As a reminder, Correctiv’s fabricated story about the ‘Potsdam meeting’, where AfD officials allegedly discussed their sinister master plan to deport all foreigners from the country, led to one of the largest scandals in the party’s history. Despite being proven as a hoax, the negative effects of the fake hit piece are still lingering in the country and its claims became part of the mainstream parties’ collective discourse on AfD.
Olaf Scholz’s socialist-led government might even have had a hand in creating the scandal, as it was later revealed that Correctiv executives met with the chancellor and other officials just days before publishing, apparently to “exchange ideas” on what coverage is desirable. This, alongside the fact that the supposedly “independent” investigative site received over €2.5 million in state funding so far, might suggest that political actors could be behind its latest meddling against AfD as well.
