Fake News and Disinformation

“Alternative facts” - this neologism by Kellyanne Conway, then advisor to former US President Donald Trump, caused head shaking at best shortly after his inauguration in early 2017. Who seriously doubted at the time that there could be more than one unalterable truth? That a second, apparent truth would take its place, which is not fact-based but interest-based and deliberately and effectively disinforms large sections of the public? Not in controlled dictatorships, but in our ideal Western world? We now have to admit that fake news and targeted disinformation have long been an integral part of the discourse, controlled by actors who hope to gain a personal advantage by influencing public opinion. And this is sometimes deliberately controlled from abroad. Are we at the mercy of this? No, and inaction is not a solution. This applies not least to politicians and platform operators. In view of elections such as the 2025 Bundestag elections, the focus of the discussion is on what needs to be done to ensure that the media can continue to fulfill their information mandate in the future and that targeted disinformation cannot endanger democracy.