Friedrich Küppersbusch attacks ZDF talk show by Maybrit Illner: “Journalistic total loss”

A journalistic disaster: That's journalist Friedrich Küppersbusch's verdict on Maybrit Illner's ZDF talk show titled "Putin's Revenge, Trump's Game – Can Europe Save Ukraine?", which ZDF broadcast on June 12. Küppersbusch's dissecting of the show in the latest episode of his YouTube channel Küppersbusch TV is quite witty and convincing. He comments on the unanimous discussion: "ZDF is having to cut costs right now, so you can get through the whole show with just one opinion," he says.

The guests are former Bundeswehr officer Roderich Kiesewetter of the CDU, military expert Carlo Masala, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, who will be introduced as an expert on transatlantic relations and US politics, and Fred Pleitgen, foreign correspondent for the US news channel CNN. Küppersbusch calls it "a lineup that, in terms of diversity of opinion, can compete with any party conference of the Chinese Communist Party." Küppersbusch speaks of an "overdose of consensus milk."

Küppersbusch was certainly particularly annoyed that the manifesto of a number of SPD politicians calling for negotiations with Russia instead of rearmament and confrontation was immediately relegated to the realm of insignificance (he called it a trifle) in this broadcast by Roderich Kiesewetter, as he was one of those who signed the appeal for a different Russia policy initiated by Antje Vollmer , Horst Teltschik and Walther Stützle in 2014. He pointed out, always with a touch of irony, that half of “our misguided and probably Russian-overrun population” had also followed this manifesto of “peace mummies from the SPD”. So take this seriously, is what he really wants to say.

Friedrich Küppersbuch complains about the lack of professional distance of Der Spiegel

The fact that everyone on this show had the same opinion even caught the attention of Der Spiegel, but in a positive way. Küppersbusch speaks of shuddering admiration in the program review of the "extremely critical magazine." He quotes the relevant passage with relish: "Normally, it's not a good sign when all participants in a discussion panel share the same opinion. But it would have been a devastating sign if a Rolf Mützenich , or a Ralf Stegner , or any other signatory of the manifesto had been in the group that evening." Küppersbusch's comment: "When it comes to opposing the peace-mongering, then even at Der Spiegel, attitude is simply more important than professional distance." The eight-minute segment concludes with a compilation of expressions of approval and incessant nodding from the talk show guests, who are left unmolested by Illner.

What's unpleasant is the title of the video clip: "Scandal: Gleichschaltung im ÖRR?" (Scandal: Coordination at the Public Broadcasting Service?) Gleichschaltung is a Nazi term, a synonym for the measures and terror theNazis perpetrated against the opposition, against anyone who held a dissenting opinion. Someone as powerful with words as Friedrich Küppersbusch shouldn't really need something like that.