Lol: 
Supervisory Boards: Public broadcasters have supervisory boards (Rundfunkräte), which include representatives from political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders. Political parties often nominate members to these boards, giving them some indirect influence over governance and strategic decisions, though not over daily editorial decisions. 

 Example: Political appointments to ARD and ZDF supervisory boards.
Public broadcasters like ARD and ZDF have governance structures that include members nominated by political parties. For example, in 2014, there was a controversy regarding political influence in ZDF when the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the broadcaster’s supervisory board had too many political representatives. This ruling followed allegations that members linked to the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) had pressured ZDF to cancel a political talk show segment critical of the party.



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2. Media Ownership and Editorial Bias

Example: Axel Springer SE and the CDU.
Axel Springer SE, a major media company that owns Bild and Die Welt, has been perceived as leaning toward the center-right, often aligning with policies of the CDU and its leadership. During Angela Merkel's tenure, Bild regularly published stories that were seen as favorable to her government, especially during the Eurozone crisis. Critics argued that this alignment shaped public opinion in favor of austerity measures. 

 Ja klar gibt es auch Medienhäuser mit politischer Ausrichtung. Es zwingt mich ja niemand diese Medien zu abonnieren. Wichtig ist, dass es funktionierende freie Berichterstattung gibt. Ich sage nicht, dass jeder Medientitel völlig frei von politischem Einfluss ist. Jedoch hat jede Zeitung im Deutschen Raum das Recht Artikel zulveröffentlichen, welche politische entscheide kritisieren. Und das wird gemacht. Die Journalisten sind die verteidiger der Wahrheit. Teil der Lösung. Nicht Teil des Problems von Misinformation. Der ist vor allem dem Amateur Bereich und influencern zu verschulden. 

 Refugee Crisis Coverage (2015-2016).
During the 2015 refugee crisis, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government engaged actively with the media to shape public narratives. The government emphasized humanitarian aspects of accepting refugees and provided press briefings that influenced early positive coverage. However, as criticism grew, both public and private media began to scrutinize the government’s policies more aggressively, highlighting the balance of influence and independent journalism.