A senior German parliamentarian has strongly condemned recent remarks by a leading figure within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, accusing him of attempting to exert undue political influence over public broadcasting. Omid Nouripour, Vice President of the Bundestag and representing the Green Party, criticized CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann’s threat to freeze public broadcasting contributions following a personnel change at the North German Broadcasting Corporation (NDR).
Nouripour, in a contributed piece for the “Tagesspiegel” newspaper, described Linnemann’s statements as “indisputable” emphasizing that the NDR’s decision to replace a presenter on the “Klar” program stemmed from an internal editorial debate and not a political directive. He stated the change could be considered a wise or flawed decision but represented a matter for journalistic discretion.
The Vice President explicitly condemned Linnemann’s actions, asserting that such pressure from a governing party equates to an attempt at censorship, drawing a comparison to actions taken by the US licensing authority against the broadcaster of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. He characterized the latter as an act of censorship.
Nouripour also voiced concern over the silence of Wolfram Weimer, the Federal Government’s Culture State Secretary, regarding Linnemann’s comments. He questioned why the official responsible for media affairs has not intervened given the direct threat made against the NDR’s existence.
Overall, Nouripour expressed broader anxieties concerning the state of press and freedom of expression, both in Germany and the United States, suggesting a decline in standards and a potential threat to democratic principles. He warned of the potential erosion of established norms and the importance of safeguarding independent media.