Wave of false reports: NRW Minister warns of election manipulation!

Wave of false reports: NRW Minister warns of election manipulation!

Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland - On January 28, 2025, North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul expressed his concern with the “New Westphalian” about the upcoming federal elections. Reul predicts a "wave of false reports" that could be initiated by groups that strive to disturb the choice or by foreign powers. He estimates the likelihood of disinformation campaigns in NRW so high that it would be a miracle for him if there were no institutions. So far, however, the protection of the constitution in North Rhine -Westphalia has no concrete findings on such a campaign.

Reul explicitly named Russia as the possible initiator of such disinformation activities. The protection of the constitution has warned in connection with these concerns that foreign actors could try to destabilize Germany's political system before the elections through targeted false information. Correctiv also reports on attempts to influence such attempts to influence, which also affect eligible issues. The organization shows that the Russian influence operation "Storm-1516" has been active for several months and aims to influence the Bundestag election.

Overview of the disinformation campaigns

The disinformation includes false claims about political characters such as Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock as well as the Bundeswehr and an alleged migration agreement with Kenya. This information was created by AI-supported technologies and deeper. This operation, which also includes an ex-police officer from the USA as well as the Internet Research Agency (IRA) and the military secret service GRU, uses a network of over a hundred German-language fake messages, many of which are not yet active, but are waiting for their use.

It is particularly alarming that false information is spread on social media, often by influencers who may be paid for their services. These influencers can have significant influence on the spread of fakes, as they often share this content. Such disinformation campaigns that also played a role in the US election campaign 2024 use similar methods and techniques as in Germany.

The consequences for trust in the media

The spread of fake news, misinformation and disinformation has increased in recent years. Studies show that low trust in political and media institutions increases the reciprocity for such false information. Incidents such as Brexit and Donald Trump's election in 2016 triggered a broad debate on the effects of fake news. These messages are mostly information that is not sufficient for journalistic quality criteria and are often pursued with a political agenda.

To counteract this problem, initiatives such as "EU vs. disinfo" and the European Digital Media Observatory have been launched. Media literacy is also highlighted as a crucial element. Critical reflection on media content and the ability to distinguish between reliable and dubious sources are essential to combat the spread of fake news.

Overall, the situation remains tense, while Germany is preparing for the Bundestag election. The warnings of the authorities and the multi -layered disinformation campaigns show how important it is to act against false reports both preventively and reactively. Citizens are required to sharpen their media literacy and to take a critical look at the information they consume and spread.