Die Aufsicht über die Einhaltung der journalistischen Sorgfaltspflichten

Responsibility for supervising online media providers lies with the media authorities, which are organized independently of the state. In view of the increasing spread of disinformation on the internet, the voluntary commitment under the leadership of the German Press Council (Deutscher Presserat e.V.) was no longer sufficient, which is why the jurisdiction of the state media authorities was significantly expanded in November 2020. This now makes it possible to officially monitor compliance with journalistic principles in online reporting. In view of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of the press, this regulation is highly controversial in literature and practice.