Bavaria’s former prime minister is concerned about democracy and calls for a broader debate about lies and half-truths spread on the Internet.
Munich – A look into the archives can sometimes be amusing. The year is 1979. The “Mirror” reports on a cabinet meeting in Bonn, which is about the future of the media: cable television. Helmut Schmidt is extremely worried. “We must not stumble into dangers that are more acute and dangerous than nuclear energy,” the Chancellor urgently warns his ministers.
If citizens were flooded with private cable or satellite programs, this could, according to Schmidt, “change the structures of democratic society.” Justice Minister Hans-Jochen Vogel also wants to build “dams” against “sensory overload” in German living rooms.
Former Prime Minister Stoiber calls for lessons to be learned from the past
One person who remembers the debates well is the former Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber (82) – and he demands that we learn from them today. “Looking back, not every fear came true. But it was important to think about the fundamentals,” says the CSU honorary chairman to our newspaper. “When the technical constraints were overcome, there was a broad social debate. A debate that was also conducted at the top of the state – starting with the Chancellor and the Prime Ministers.”
Stoiber: Fake news is a “danger to democracy and coexistence”
It’s no longer about cable TV. The technical innovation is still the Internet. Of course it’s no longer “new territory”, as Angela Merkel once put it. But for Stoiber, how to deal with it is still unclear. “We need a much broader debate about this issue, which affects the foundations of our democracy. We must prevent the spread of lies.” Because: “If truth and lies merge online, it will pose a danger to our democracy and our coexistence.”
Stoiber is not an Internet expert and is not on any of the social networks. But he has three children and nine grandchildren – and he sees how the flow of information is changing. That worries him. When the CSU board discussed how to deal with the AfD last week, the issue was a burning issue for him. Education is one thing: “We should make children in schools more aware of possible lies on the Internet.”
Stoiber wants media to work together to combat online lies
But it is also about holding the tech giants accountable. “It is important to impose stricter obligations on social media providers who are not yet living up to their gatekeeper role. State control should also be expanded. The EU’s Digital Services Act is a step in the right direction, but so far the implementation does not seem sufficient to me.” With the Digital Services Act and the associated Digital Markets Act, the EU actually has the world’s strictest regulations for internet companies. The important thing now is the application of the regulations.
Stoiber believes that – unthinkable 40 years ago – private and public broadcasters could join forces today to counter the lies and half-truths on the Internet. “The Future Council set up by the Broadcasting Commission of the States has even expressly called for a fair partnership between public broadcasters and private providers, particularly when it comes to digital content – in terms of technology and, in some cases, content. This serves the common good.”
MIC/GEO
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