Davids Medienkritik

Statler and Waldorf: 20 Years Ago in German-American History...

The German blog Statler and Waldorf reminds us of a great moment in German-American history just twenty years ago.

Looking for a Good Blog on Duesseldorf and More?

Check this out: Duesseldorf Blog.

FAZ's Dishonest Smear Targets Malkin - Bloggers

(By Ray Drake)

Nina Rehfeld's Attempted Hit Job - Or How it Backfired

A small German blog recently chronicled a particularly suspect article authored by correspondent Nina Rehfeld for the FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - one of Germany's most respected daily papers). The piece, entitled "Debacle for the Online Sniper" can only be described as a hit job gone terribly wrong. The "online sniper" in question is none other than journalist and top blogger Michelle Malkin:

FAZ Caption: "Converted Blogger: Michelle Malkin"

The FAZ piece reads as follows (our translation - this is the entire article):

"Blogs
Debacle for the Online Sniper
By Nina Rehfeld, Phoenix

A few days ago a witch hunt called out by conservative bloggers in the United States against the news agency AP came to an end. The starting point for the hysteria was an AP report according to which six Iraqi Sunnis were doused with gasoline by Shiites in front of a mosque and burned alive as Iraqi soldiers looked on. As a source, AP named a Baghdad police captain by the name of Jamil Hussein, but the American military and Iraqi Ministry of Interior denied for a long time that there was a policeman by that name. No one else could confirm the report, yet the story went around the world.

In Internet forums doubts were quickly raised about the authenticity of the AP story and the reliability of sources in Iraq in general. But what should have been a debate about the pitfalls of reporting from war zones turned into a vanity fair. Led by the prominent conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, the AP story was presented as proof that the "liberal mainstream media" were intentionally distorting the situation in Iraq to turn people against the Bush government: "MSM credibility, R.I.P.," wrote Malkin.

The Outcry is Silenced

The talk quickly turned to "AP scandal"; All AP reporting on Iraq was brought into question. Liberal websites like Media Matters struck back at the "warbloggers." And because the mainstream media in America leaves the field of reporting on the background details to the bloggers, they were able to smash journalistic porcelain undisturbed. In the meantime, AP stuck with the story that its reporters had spoken with Jamil Hussein.

A few days ago the Iraqi Ministry of Interior confirmed the existence of Jamil Hussein and announced that he may be subject to a fine - because he spoke to journalists. The outcry is silenced. Michelle Malkin accepted a challenge to visit Iraq from CNN news boss Eason Jordan where she has meekly reported on danger, violence and corruption, but also on signs of hope in Iraq that the mainstream media is allegedly happy to overlook. Nobody is talking about the policeman Jamil Hussein anymore."

Memo to FAZ: The Outcry is Not Silenced

Rehfeld would be right if the only aspect of the AP story brought into question by bloggers was the existence of source Jamil Hussein. In reality, there are two elements of the original AP story that remain controversial: The first, Mr. Hussein's reported claim that four mosques were "destroyed" in sectarian violence, has been proven demonstrably false. The second, that six Iraqi Sunnis were burned alive as Iraqi soldiers looked on, remains uncorroborated and has been disputed by other sources. Bloggers continue to discuss both - Ms. Rehfeld completely fails to acknowledge the controversy surrounding either.

In other words, this is neither a witch hunt nor is it "case closed" as Ms. Rehfeld clearly implies. In fact, the bloggers' skepticism over the original AP piece has proven to be largely justified. Unfortunately, those inconvenient details are conspicuously omitted by FAZ.

Because Rehfeld and her FAZ editors are clearly aware of Michelle Malkin's blog (see caption above), it is hard to believe that they simply overlooked the two contested elements of the original AP story. This appears to be yet another case of a major German media outlet omitting and twisting facts to vilify those (conservatives - bloggers - Americans) it perceives as political enemies. The arrogant, frothing-at-the-mouth tone of the piece is, taken by itself, a clear sign of journalism gone bad. Beyond that, it is difficult to conclude that Rehfeld is anything more than a cynical liar. Her work is particularly disturbing because it is directed at a German audience that, with a language barrier and lack of alternative sources, will likely never know to what extent it has been defrauded and misled.

This much is clear: To avoid future "witch hunts" and journalistic "debacles", FAZ would be well advised to drop Ms. Rehfeld and her particularly destructive brand of character assassination. Instead of cutting Michelle Malkin down to size, Rehfeld has succeeded only in shooting herself and her publication's reputation in the foot.

(Hattip: Joerg)

When will there be a SPIEGELBLOG?

The German blog "Apocalypso" asks: "There is already a Bildblog; When will there be a SpiegelBlog?"

Great question. We've been hoping something like that would come along as well. In fact, there is a new fledgling blog called "SpiegelKritik" that is worth checking out. 

Politically Incorrect has Moved

The highly successful German blog Politically Incorrect now has a new address and a new look. Be sure to check them out at their new home and bookmark their new location: http://politicallyincorrect.de/

Misunderestimated Germans: A New Blog with Potential

Check out this great new blog: Misunderestimated Germans.

This is an excerpt of one of their recent posts:

"Saddam "Tookie" Hussein

Breaking News: Saddam Hussein is to write a children’s book to escape his execution!

This book will be distributed to Iraqi schools, some of Saddam’s attorneys told the Middle East correspondents of Misunderestimated Germans. They also disclosed a sample of themes:

• Jihad isn’t cool!
• What would Jesus do?
• How I ever secretly loved the Kurds
• Israel rulez!
• God bless America!
• Grandpa Saddam’s allotment garden
• My best friend George
• How to have a shave without getting decapitated

What do you think? Has Saddam changed his life and mind?"

This is a brand new blog just looking for an audience. We've just added them to our blogroll, so check them out and add them on your bookmark file of good German blogs. If you don't have a bookmark (or "favorites") file for good German blogs or even good foreign blogs, today is the day to start one! You can start by bookmarking Medienkritik and go from there. If you need a list of good German-language blogs, check here.

Davids Medienkritik: Promoting Outstanding German-Language Blogs

Here is a list of outstanding German-language blogs for all of our German-language readers. The German-language blogosphere needs more readers and supporters. So please bookmark and check out as many of these sites as regularly as you can. Be sure to let as many other German-speakers as possible know about these blogs as well:

• Politically Incorrect
• Statler & Waldorf
• Die Achse des Guten
• David Harnasch
• A New European
• No Blood For Sauerkraut
• Anti-anti-Americanism
• Martin Hagen
• Alexander und der Gordische Knoten
• Antibuerokratieteam.de
• Apocalypso
• BierhalunkenBlog
• Black Baron
• Bloggemeyer
• Dankeschön!
• Das Nessi
• DE FACTO
• Der Deutschling
• Der Spindoktor
• Der Weisse Hai
• Die Realitaet
• Eiche/Rustikal
• E Pluribus Unum
• Erzliberal.de
• EuroNeuzeit
• Fakten und Fiktionen
• Freedom Watch
• Freie Gedanken
• Freiheitsfabrik
• Gegenstimme
• GeistesWelt
• Gesellschaftsfreunde
• Gudrun Eussner
• Henryk M. Broder
• Ideen und Irrtümer
• Ivision
• Joachim Kretschmar
• Kapitalismus-Magazin
• Laienkasten
• Liblog
• Magnus Becker
• Maxeiner & Miersch
• Medienkritik Online
• Mimus Vitae
• Objektivist
• Oliver Luksic
• Ostrakismos
• Rebellog
• Volker Radke

If you know of a good German-language blog not on this list, be sure to let us know in the comments section. The most remarkable aspect of this is that two years ago, when Davids Medienkritik first went online, most of these blogs did not even exist! Let's keep the German-language blogosphere growing! It is badly needed.

Update: From now on, we will permanently list these German-language blogs in a blogroll labeled "GERMAN-LANGUAGE BLOGS" on our sidebar for the convenience and reference of our readers.

A New European: German-Language Blog of the Week

Few blogs have authors as entertaining as Greg B. Grabinski of "A New European." Originally from Poland and now a resident of Switzerland, Greg's diverse writings and photos are sure to keep visitors engaged and on the edge of their seats for hours. His critique cuts through media hypocrisy like a laserbeam and spares no politician in its insight. "A New European" frequently brings stories to German-speaking readers from a point-of-view that is nowhere else to be found on the web. This recommendation is long overdue, so be sure to check out this outstanding site:

NOTE: For more outstanding German-language blogs, check out our list of "German-Language Blogs" on the side-bar of this web-page. (You may have to scroll-down a bit.) You can also view our list of outstanding German-Language Blogs by clicking HERE.

Statler & Waldorf: Interesting Article...

We noticed an interesting post (in German) over at Statler & Waldorf entitled, "Why Do We Need Pro-American Blogs?" Check it out and be sure to weigh-in with your comments.

Americans Happier than Germans: How is that Possible?

(By Ray Drake)

It is a land "increasingly plagued by self-doubts" and in the midst of a downward spiral. It is a land drowning in guns, brutal crime and social injustice. It is a land that has become "as scary as Osama bin Laden" embroiled in a hopeless civil war overseas. It is a land that lied to the world for oil and unbridled greed.

This land is an imaginary construct of German media and left-wing politicians. It is the United States seen through the distorted lens of publications such as SPIEGEL and STERN. It is a land in which very little positive ever happens and where the great majority of news are negative horror stories.

The land that many Germans believe they know to be mired in misery, crime and hopelessness, is, in fact, totally foreign to them. The United States that they think they know could never be a land of people more optimistic and content with their lives and more economically prosperous. But that is precisely what it is...

Just yesterday, a superb German blog called Die Achse des Guten cited a Harris Poll, which yielded the following results (emphasis original):

"With a few exceptions, Americans are generally happier with their lives and more optimistic about their future than are Europeans, according to a new Harris Poll. In this survey, Americans were asked some of the same questions that were asked in a recent Eurobarometer survey conducted for the European Union.

The big picture is that Americans are much more satisfied with their lives, much more likely to believe that their lives have improved and much more likely to expect their personal situations will improve than most Europeans.

Fully 58 percent of Americans are very satisfied with their lives compared to the 15-country European average of 31 percent. Fifty-six percent of Americans think that their lives have improved in the last five years compared to 45 percent of Europeans. Furthermore, 65 percent of Americans expect their personal situation will improve in the next five years compared to only 44 percent of Europeans. However, Europe is not at all homogenous and the mood varies widely from country to country."

Americans More Content And Optimistic? How Could This BE? Europe is supposed to be the social paradise and model...

Then again, the picture of America held by most Germans has been warped and distorted by a media profoundly obsessed with the negative and the sensational. The almost exclusively negative portrayal of America fed to German readers day-in and day-out contrasts sharply with reality. Like all other nations,  America has its problems. But it also happens to be the most prosperous and one of the most optimistic nations in the world, and that reality has been drowned out by bias, stereotypes and ideology in Germany.

If one only reads SPIEGEL ONLINE, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Stern or a combination of Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky and Susan Sontag books, then the numbers above must seem completely baffling. America's consistently strong economic performance must also be a blasphemous mystery. Confusion, misunderstanding and ignorance towards America are the logical results of years of one-sided, negative media coverage and the unfortunately large appetite of many Germans for such coverage. Compounding the problem mightily is the lack of widely published, widely distributed alternative viewpoints on America.

As long as the majority of Germans continue to delude themselves that the Socialist welfare state is the model for the future and diplomacy is the solution to all problems without exception, they will also continue to resent America and Americans for continuing to outperform them as they sink deeper into the mire of international irrelevance. And the German media will keep feeding them a steady diet of the anti-American comfort food they will undoubtedly continue to crave. Sad but true...