(By Ray Drake)
A while back, David made mention of an NDR (North-German Broadcasting, a state-owned public broadcasting organization) report entitled "Patriotische Gefuehle: Die Medienszene in den USA" or "Patriotic Feelings: The Media Scene in the USA". The report is such a classic, textbook example of how the German media reports and distorts facts about the United States that it is worth a much closer look.
We started by translating the entire report into English exclusively for our readers. That can be viewed here.
Part 1: Christoph Luetgert's Sordid Stadium Story
As proof of the "Bush clan's" enormous, "all-encompassing control" and influence throughout America, we are presented with NDR-Chefreporter (NDR executive reporter) Christoph Luetgert's assertion that, as a German journalist, one is required to call the White House to receive permission to film Texas Rangers stadium. The report states:
"How large the influence of the Bush clan is in the entire country
was also experienced by a German TV journalist. The Texas Rangers
Stadium in Texas. Here began the career of Bush as a businessman.
The club did not want to grant permission to film. Christoph Luettgert*,
NDR executive reporter: “When we made a request there we
were told that we had to ask the White House for permission. I
mean, that is an outrageous story. That would be something like
if I wanted to film in the soccer stadium of FC Bavaria Munich
and the club managers of Bavaria Munich would say to me I have
to first call and ask at the Chancellor’s office in Berlin.
I mean such an all-encompassing control, well such an all-encompassing
censorship is unimaginable in Germany.”
When Davids Medienkritik contacted the Texas Rangers we were told that, with few exceptions, camera crews from anywhere in the world are
permitted to film at Texas Rangers stadium with the permission of the Texas
Rangers media relations office. This simple process involves the
camera crew contacting Texas Rangers media relations, making an appointment
and sending in copies of their journalistic credentials. That’s it.
The primary exception to the rule would be filming a game in
progress, something not allowed without the express written consent of
Major League Baseball. This is standard operating procedure not only at Texas
Rangers stadium, but at all Major League Baseball stadiums in both the United States and Canada.
(Anyone who has ever watched or listened to a baseball game on television or
radio knows this because it is repeated during every game.) The
same rules apply to almost all other sports stadiums worldwide, including most German and European sports venues. It is a simple matter of copyright law and has absolutely nothing to
do with the White House or President Bush, nor would anyone have ever been asked by the Texas Rangers or any other sports team to call the White
House simply for permission to film a game at which the President of the United States was not actually physically present.
So this naturally left me wondering what Mr. Luetgert could
have possibly been talking about. When I asked Ms. Jessica Beard of the Texas Rangers communications department why he might have been asked to contact the White House for permission to film the stadium, she told me that this could only have happened if Mr. Luetgert wanted to film
an event at the stadium actually physically attended by the President of the United States or if the NDR reporter
wanted to film about Mr. Bush’s work at the club
and use actual pictures of the President. She stated that only in such specific
instances, directly involving the safety and/or right to privacy of the President and his family, would a
journalist be requested to directly contact the White House for permission to
film.
In fact, Ms. Beard pointed out that foreign camera crews regularly request and
receive permission from her office to film at Texas Rangers' stadium to cover players and to
interview fans before and after games. She went on to say, “We want press for
our beautiful stadium, locally and worldwide.” Ms. Beard also pointed out
that a German news crew would have absolutely no problem receiving permission
to film the stadium as long as the filming did not
take place during a game or impact the safety or privacy of the President or anyone else at the stadium.
As a trained, experienced journalist, Mr. Luetgert must have known that it would have been easily possible to film at Texas Rangers stadium, or virtually any other sports stadium in the United States, without White House permission. So why does he make it seem otherwise? Why does he intentionally misrepresent the facts by omitting important details? Clearly, our star German reporter fails to mention several key specifics about exactly what it was that he wanted to film. He further compounds the misrepresentation by making a fatally flawed comparison to Bavaria Munich stadium. Luetgert tells his audience that his experience is comparable to a journalist wishing to film a major German soccer stadium being told to contact the German Chancellor's office for permission.
In so doing, Mr. Luetgert and NDR have created a patently false and sweeping impression in the minds of the German audience: Namely, that foreign journalists working in the United States wishing to film a sports stadium are forced to request permission directly from the White House. President Bush is ridiculously portrayed as having an iron grip on filming at all American sports stadiums. This is reinforced by Luetgert's closing assertion that: "such an all-encompassing control, well such an
all-encompassing censorship is unimaginable in Germany."
Clearly, this is no innocent mistake or oversight on Mr. Luetgert's part. It appears to be an intentional misrepresentation of the facts in an attempt to deceive the audience to achieve the desired negative image of the United States and President Bush. Ironically, the segment of the report in which the NDR reporter makes his assertions about Texas Rangers Stadium is entitled: "Manipulation from the Highest Level?"
"Manipulation from the Highest Level?"
Indeed: A particularly cynical title considering Mr. Luetgert's own outrageous manipulation of the facts. This is certainly one of the more devious and overt examples of bias we have uncovered so far. Mr. Luetgert ought to be called-out on this one, such all-encompassing journalistic incompetence should be that which is unimaginable in Germany.
If you wish to contact NDR's television division with your thoughts on "Patriotische Gefuehle", you can email them at: fernsehen@ndr.de. Christoph Luetgert can be contacted at: c.luetgert@ndr.de
(Hattip: Alex N.)
*Update: One of our alert readers pointed out that NDR couldn't
even spell "Luetgert" correctly in its report. The name only has two
'ts' not three. I have made the adjustment in our posting, but I left
it misspelled in the translation of the original because that is how it
appears (with an umlaut in German of course). Additionally, another reader emailed and pointed out that George W.
Bush's career as a businessman began in the oil business, not with the
Texas Rangers as stated by NDR. The President's online biography also contradicts NDR on that point.
Article note: For the record, Texas Rangers stadium is also known as Ameriquest Field.
WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk): "
NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk): "
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