LEFT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.
- Overall, we rate Berliner Zeitung Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that moderately favor the left. We also rate them Mostly Factual in reporting rather than High due to poor sourcing techniques.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
Established in 1945, Berliner Zeitung is a daily newspaper from Germany. In 1990, the paper was acquired by Gruner + Jahr (owned by Bertelsmann) and the British publisher Robert Maxwell. In June 2002, Holtzbrinck took over Berliner Zeitung, and due to antitrust laws, there were complications; therefore, in 2005, Holtzbrinck resold it to the Mecom Group, owned by British media tycoon David Montgomery. In 2009, Mecom sold Berliner Zeitung to publisher M. DuMont Schauberg (MDS). Finally, in 2019, Silke and Holger Friedrich acquired Berliner Zeitung from MDS (M. DuMont Schauberg).
The Managing Directors are Dr. Michael Maier, Holger Friedrich, and the Editor is Dr. Michael Maier. The publisher is Berliner Verlag.
Funded by / Ownership
The publisher is Berliner Verlag and it is owned by Silke and Holger Friedrich. Revenue is based on subscriptions and advertising.
Analysis / Bias
Read our profile on Germany’s government and media.
The new owner Holger Friedrich is described as a “Technology fetishist” who is an IT strategist and runs Core, a consulting firm for the financial sector. According to The New York Times, based on the published documents by Newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Holger Friedrich was a Stasi spy. Holger Friedrich has said, “he was coerced into agreeing to work as an informant after being arrested following a failed attempt to escape to the West.” In addition, according to Spiegel, on November 8th, Berliner Zeitung reported about a biotech company Centogene; however, they did not mention Friedrich himself as a shareholder of Centogene.
In review, Berliner Zeitung publishes articles with emotionally loaded language critical of the right such as “Only the left-wing parties are fully committed to democracy” and “Angela Merkel’s interpretation of the constitution is negligent.” Regarding reporting about immigrants, mainly Muslim immigrants, they publish articles such as “Does “Islam” belongs to Germany?”. A quote from the article reads, “All Islamic-dominated states propagate hatred of Jews. This is incompatible with today’s German state policy.”
Regarding sourcing, they rarely hyperlink and mostly use quotes such as DPA (Hamburg-based German News Agency) and FAZ (Conservative German newspaper). When covering the US, the tone is negative towards President Trump “Why Donald Trump treated New York so badly.” They generally hold a left-leaning editorial bias and publish mostly factual news.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years.
Overall, we rate Berliner Zeitung Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that moderately favor the left. We also rate them Mostly Factual in reporting rather than High due to poor sourcing techniques. (M. Huitsing 6/7/2020) Updated (07/10/2022)
Source: https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/
Last Updated on May 14, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources