from
Cathrin Kahlweit
The word “advertisements” is less common in Germany, here one speaks of “advertisements”. The Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), who resigned at the weekend in connection with the “advertising affair”, and his team are said to have misappropriated tax funds, embellished surveys and bought positive media reports. Kurz denies the allegations. It is indisputable that the very special way of promoting the press in Austria can easily be transformed into an instrument for political influence. Andy Kaltenbrunner is a political and media scientist, heads the Medienhaus Wien and conducts research at the Academy of Sciences. He recently published the widely acclaimed study “Apparently transparent” on the media market in Austria.