German newspapers were abuzz with a leak published by a German website considered a serious journalistic platform, relating to a private meeting held at the beginning of this year between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Matthias Döfner, head of the Axel Springer Group, the largest newspaper publishing house in Germany.
According to the RND website’s “If You Knew” podcast, the meeting that took place in the German Chancellery was devoted to discussing the relationship between the Christian Democratic Meretz party and the far-right party, “Alternative for Germany.”
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The website quotes “very knowledgeable people” that the head of the publishing house pressured the German Chancellor to open the door to cooperation between the conservative Meretz party and the “Alternative” party, which Meretz categorically rejected by saying to Döfner, “It will only happen over my dead body.”
When Dufner insisted – adds the site – Meretz abruptly ended the conversation, and when Dufner was about to leave, he said to the advisor: “You will regret this.”
Of course, the website did not mention the names of the people “very knowledgeable” about the meeting, but the leak is a blatant example of the danger and closeness of those in charge of the Fourth Estate (a term given to the media) to the decision-makers.
Since the leak was revealed in the middle of last week, major German newspapers have continued to circulate the news widely, especially since its disclosure coincided with the Alternative Party’s preparations to hold its closed conference, and with its soaring high in the opinion polls at the expense of the two major ruling parties: the Christian Democratic Meretz Party and the Social Democratic Party.
While the publishing house that publishes prominent newspapers such as “Bild”, “Die Welt”, “Politico Europe” and “Business Insider” denied the report, saying that it was “absurd” and “false”, the German government responded to an inquiry about this, by saying that it “does not comment on the chancellor’s informal meetings, regardless of whether these meetings took place or not.”
Public cooperation with Al-Badil
One of the most important newspapers that does not miss such news is the “Tats” newspaper, which is affiliated with the leftist press. It published an analytical article by foreign policy writer Leon Holley, in which he says that the question of whether Döfner had pressured Meretz to cooperate with the AfD party is not the most important, because the crisis between the chancellor and the publishing house “Axel Springer” has become clear for some time, and its affinity with the party has also become clear.
The article adds that just looking at the reports of the “Bild” and “Die Welt” newspapers affiliated with the publishing house clearly shows that they are pushing openly and without ambiguity towards cooperation with the “Alternative.”
At the end of last May, the editor-in-chief of the Bild newspaper, Marion Horn, stated in an article her opposition to what is known as the “separation wall,” which is the term used in Germany to prohibit cooperation with the extreme right, considering that refusing to cooperate is only in the interest of the “alternative.”
According to Horn, Germany needs what she described as a “decisive blow” in cooperation with the Alternative Party, and in return, the Alternative Party must get rid of the “extremists” in it and declare its foreign policy commitment to the values of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Holly explains this by saying: “The next day after the article was published, Bild went to the readers and polled their opinions regarding the “Separation Wall,” and according to the results of the poll, 84% of the participants supported cooperation with the party.”
The writer wonders: “Is the article written by Elon Musk in Die Welt newspaper in December 2024 still fresh in our minds, when the billionaire considered the Alternative Party to be the last ray of hope for Europe?”
Who has the power?
In turn, the newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” commented on the leak in an article entitled “Who has the power?”, saying that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Bild” Marion Horn was angry twice last week; The first time from the German national football team, which with its coach Julian Nagelsmann was eliminated from the World Cup tournament, and the second from Friedrich Merz.
Horn wrote at the time: “The national team coach suffers from confusion and failure, like Chancellor Mertz. But the difference is that the former’s dismissal is possible, which must happen as quickly as possible. As for Mertz? If his dismissal is not possible, can he at least be replaced?”
The replacement of Merz was not only announced by the editor-in-chief of the newspaper affiliated with the Axel Springer group, but the first to raise it for discussion were the prominent journalists of the Bild newspaper, Paul Runzheimer and Philipp Pyatov, at the end of May, when they published rumors about what was called the “change of chancellor scenario,” a scenario that would require Merz to be replaced by his party colleague Hendrik Fust.
Süddeutsche commented on these rumors by saying that the media coverage of the newspaper “Bild” and the media of “Axel Springer” House about the performance of the Meretz government indicates that the meeting between Meretz and Döfner, who is active in the media and politics, may not have gone smoothly.
As for “Stern” magazine, it says that “Axel Springer’s” newspapers tend toward a liberal conservative orientation, and this is clear and unobjectionable in itself. But the matter becomes problematic if the head of this group tries to influence the political course in Germany.
The magazine concludes by saying that for the chancellor, the dispute with Dufner may become dangerous, as a competitor to Meretz has been being prepared for some time and this competitor does not rule out cooperation with the Alternative Party. He is the head of the parliamentary bloc of the Christian Democratic Union in Parliament, Jens Spahn.
