Attack on press freedom

Today, the topic of press freedom is being discussed in the German Parliament, the Bundestag. The junge Welt is the only German daily newspaper to be monitored by the domestic intelligence agency »Verfassungsschutz« and has been regularly mentioned in the corresponding intelligence reports since 2004. The party »Die Linke« (The Left) had submitted an inquiry to the federal government on this issue, the answer to which has now been received by the newspaper's editorial team.

In it, the federal government attests to the fact that the daily newspaper junge Welt, which is published in Berlin, reaches a large circle of readers and is therefore relevant and »effective«. In combination with the paper's political orientation, this makes the junge Welt a legitimate object for observation by the domestic intelligence agency. The government sees the marxist orientation of the newspaper as evidence of it being anti-constitutional. Because Marxism assumes the existence of classes in society, it contradicts the concept of „human dignity“ (Menschenwürde), which is protected by in the German Constitution (Grundgesetz). For this reason, the government argues, the economic resources of the junge Welt must be withdrawn by secret service means. The negative consequences that follow from being named in the constitution protection report are intentional. According to the German government, concrete support for the newspaper, for example through distribution campaigns or membership in the cooperative, that owns the newspaper, is also »anti-constitutional«.

The junge Welt editorial team is working on a detailed assessment, which will be made available today, along with a statement from the management and editors-in-chief.

The complete answer of the Federal Government to the small inquiry of the parliamentary group of the party Die Linke (BT-Drucksache 19/28956) can be viewed here (text in German): https://www.jungewelt.de/downloads/antwort_br_anfrage_linke.pdf