Recommendations of the Editorial team
The former German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht commented on the Fernandes/Ulmen case and left an angry post on social media: “Dear ARD, dear Tagesschau, do you actually know how much trust you destroy in the ÖRR with such ‘mistakes’? Where are journalistic standards on such a sensitive and publicity-relevant topic?”
Lambrecht shares a screenshot from “Tagesschau 24 live”. The broadcaster’s message text states: “Collien Fernandes case: A gap in German law? Editor’s note: In an earlier version of the report it was said that Collien Fernandes accused Christian Ulmen, among other things, of having distributed deepfake porn. Fernandes’ accusation is correct: Ulmen is said to have created fake profiles on the Internet for years and used them to distribute pornographic images. She probably does not accuse Ulmen of creating and distributing deepfake porn. We We apologize for the error. We have corrected the text in several places.”
Lambrecht doubts “error”
Lambrecht commented: “Dear ARD, do you actually know how much trust you destroy with such ‘mistakes’?” She put the word “mistake” in quotation marks – this is usually used as a stylistic device when you think a term is unsuitable. She is perhaps indicating that it was not a trivial matter or that the ARD itself does not see the incident as a real mistake.
In fact, the discussion has shifted: from the widespread assumption that Christian Ulmen sent deepfake porn from Collien Fernandes to fake online profiles and pornographic representations.
Loss of trust as a political narrative
Everyone has to decide for themselves whether an apology from the broadcaster could be sufficient for a false representation. Regardless of this, Lambrecht’s reference to the “loss of trust” plays into the hands of narratives that express great distrust of public broadcasters. The AfD, for example, should be happy about Lambrecht’s posting.
Lambrecht’s controversial term as defense minister
Lambrecht, 60, served under Olaf Scholz (SPD), among other things, as Federal Minister of Defense for around one and a half years until she asked to be fired. From the beginning she faced strong criticism because of her administration; The New Year’s Eve video 2022, in which she lectured about Ukraine during the Berlin firecracker storm, probably put the end to the matter.
Regarding her resignation, she explained: “The months-long media focus on me personally hardly allows objective reporting and discussion about the soldiers, the Bundeswehr and security policy decisions in the interests of the citizens of Germany.” She later published her memoirs, which revolved around her time as a minister – a self-published publication, which can be interpreted in many different ways.
