External investigation ordered: Deutsche Welle examines allegations of anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitic statements in articles and social media: The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” has made serious allegations against employees of Deutsche Welle in a report. Now the sender initiates an external investigation.

According to a report in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” about allegations of anti-Semitism against several employees of Deutsche Welle (DW), the station has announced that it will examine the allegations. “At the order of the artistic director, DW will immediately commission an independent external investigation,” said the German international broadcaster.

According to the “SZ” article, several members of the DW’s Arab editorial team had made anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements on the Internet in the past. This resulted in an extensive analysis of a large number of social media posts and articles published in Arab media.

An editor, for example, is said to have called the Holocaust an “artificial product” on Facebook and to have said that the Jews would continue to control “people’s brains through art, media and music,” the newspaper writes.

Consequences if accusations come true

DW added in its statement: Among other things, DW’s code of conduct clearly stipulates which values ​​all DW employees must respect and represent internally and externally. The editor-in-chief’s code clearly shows which journalistic principles they have to observe when dealing with anti-Semitism. After an initial check, DW will “immediately draw conclusions if violations of these rules prove to be true.”

In February, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on DW employees who had made serious allegations against the management of the international broadcaster. There is intimidation and harassment in various departments, the newspaper reported, citing several DW employees. There is no adequate response to reports of grievances. DW ended its collaboration with three freelancers in December 2020. Internal emails indicate that they had previously expressed criticism. According to the report, the broadcaster denied the allegations.