What’s it like to work as a journalist in Germany with far-right groups living next door?
Alexander Roth is deputy editor of the online edition of Waiblinger Zeitung, in the outskirts of Stuttgart, one of the strongholds of the far-right and conspiracy movements of the so-called Reichsbürger scene, considered by Germany the single most prominent threat to its democracy.
Roth has been investigating these movements since the onset of the pandemic, exposing the links between the far-right, its political arm and anti-vaxx groups. His work has made him a preferred target of this movement, which frequently shouts out his name at rallies which, in turn, has triggered a barrage of veiled death threats and smear campaigns that labeled Roth as a mouthpiece of a corrupt elite.
Hear in this episode from Roth about his own experience but also from the journalists of the TAZ investigative unit, Christian Jakob, Jean-Philipp Baeck and Luisa Kuhn, on how they conducted the investigation into his case.
Guests: Alexander Roth, Christian Jakob, Jean-Philipp Baeck and Luisa Kuhn.
Producer and Host: Javier Luque, head of digital communications at IPI.
Related links mentioned in the episode:
Other episodes in this series:
Episode 2: How journalists investigate the far right
Episode 3: Fact-checkers targeted by populists in Europe
Episode 4: When disinformation campaigns fuel hate and harassment
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This podcast series is part of the project Decoding the disinformation playbook of populism in Europe, which is supported by the European Media and Information Fund, managed by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Disclaimer:
The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.
