There was this 60 minutes documentation of CBS about Germany and its approach to freedom of speech. It got a lot of coverage in Germany too. I read many right-wing outlets agreed with the critique and said we are too strict.
I once wrote the following in this forum.
"Personally I prefer the German approach compared to the US. In the USA you have legally more freedom to say anything. But many companies punish their staff when they misbehave. In Germany you have legally less freedom (example defamation I think) but the companies are less likely to punish their staff for public opinions."
Personally, I also consider it critical when German politicians sue citizens for minor "insults". Some politician use this as strategic weapon. And the same time we have an old time high of violence against local politician. To a point where barely anyone wants that job anymore. They get insulted verbally and they should be better protected. Especially, higher politician abused the right to sue.
Despite this criticism I am pretty glad that we in Germany have this approach compared to the US. I think US tech companies need to be better regulated in th EU. The US media ecosystem is toxic, full of garbage, corporate greed and misinformation. Most people cannot differentiate between fake news and correct news anymore. The better regulated approach also has flaws but if we look at the outcome Germany has less issues with fake news than the US. One has to compare German politics news shows with American ones. Most Germans are stunned when they watch them. The German shows are less emotional, less yellow press alike, more based on facts. We have public braoadcasting which avoid corporate logic of having to make money with news. Corporate news have a different logic. The monetary approach is often susceptible to shortterm profits, sensationalism, partisanship and greed. Americans are way too conspiracy minded. However, there were more true conspiracies in the US than in Germany after WW2. I think the monetary incentives are toxic to the US system. In Germany we also have a completely different financing of elections. In Germany the largest party spends roundabout 30 million Euros for their campaign. I think this shows how much waste and corruption there is in the US system.
I once wrote the following in this forum.
"Personally I prefer the German approach compared to the US. In the USA you have legally more freedom to say anything. But many companies punish their staff when they misbehave. In Germany you have legally less freedom (example defamation I think) but the companies are less likely to punish their staff for public opinions."
Personally, I also consider it critical when German politicians sue citizens for minor "insults". Some politician use this as strategic weapon. And the same time we have an old time high of violence against local politician. To a point where barely anyone wants that job anymore. They get insulted verbally and they should be better protected. Especially, higher politician abused the right to sue.
Despite this criticism I am pretty glad that we in Germany have this approach compared to the US. I think US tech companies need to be better regulated in th EU. The US media ecosystem is toxic, full of garbage, corporate greed and misinformation. Most people cannot differentiate between fake news and correct news anymore. The better regulated approach also has flaws but if we look at the outcome Germany has less issues with fake news than the US. One has to compare German politics news shows with American ones. Most Germans are stunned when they watch them. The German shows are less emotional, less yellow press alike, more based on facts. We have public braoadcasting which avoid corporate logic of having to make money with news. Corporate news have a different logic. The monetary approach is often susceptible to shortterm profits, sensationalism, partisanship and greed. Americans are way too conspiracy minded. However, there were more true conspiracies in the US than in Germany after WW2. I think the monetary incentives are toxic to the US system. In Germany we also have a completely different financing of elections. In Germany the largest party spends roundabout 30 million Euros for their campaign. I think this shows how much waste and corruption there is in the US system.
