AfD politician posts fake photo of Chancellor – handshake scandal!

AfD politician posts fake photo of Chancellor – handshake scandal!

With the fake news being spread on social media, things are getting wilder. A Hessian AfD politician Johannes Marxen posted an edited photo on Facebook that shows his parliamentary group colleague Gerhard Schenk with Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). The post claimed it was a “handshake from the Chancellor,” an image that struck a chord with many. But it quickly became clear that gossip doesn't show the whole picture. Loud East Hesse News The picture was a fake and was not taken at the Hessenfest, even though Merz was actually there.

The original photo shows the Chancellor with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was taken at the end of 2024. An unfortunate montage was made here: Schenk was simply swapped with Zelenskyj. Robert Lambrou, the chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, confirmed that Merz shook Schenk's hand, which can be proven by witnesses. However, the post was initially unacceptable and was deleted just a few hours after publication. Marxen only responded indirectly to critical questions before throwing in the towel and removing the picture from the platform.

A case for media literacy

These incidents once again highlight how important it is to deal critically with information on social media. When Alice Weidel, the federal chairwoman of the AfD, previously described Merz as a “lying chancellor,” the tables continued to swing. The spread of fake news and the associated misinformation and disinformation are issues that are present not only in the political arena, but everywhere. Loud bpb Fake news often has a particularly high impact, especially if those affected have little trust in political and media institutions.

These concerns have become particularly louder since the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the Brexit referendum. News that has gone viral not only influences the formation of political opinions, but also the social climate. A sure sense of truth is required to reduce the influence of disinformation on social media. Studies show that less than 1% of content on the Internet is classified as fake news, which does not mean that the rest of the information is trustworthy.

Clarification is required

To counteract this, initiatives to promote media literacy are of great importance. For example, the EU has launched the “EU vs. Disinfo” program. Such programs are intended to provide a kind of “vaccination” against fake news, to sensitize citizens to the dangers of disinformation and to equip them with the necessary tools. In an age where any information can be disseminated at lightning speed, it is essential to take a critical look at the information received.

This publication makes it clear that not everything circulating on the Internet is true. Fake news, as the case of Johannes Marxen shows, is a challenge for the new media landscape and requires a fundamental rethinking of how we deal with information.