Fact check: What are the German coalition’s plans to clamp down on disinformation?

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Fact check: What are the German coalition’s plans to clamp down on disinformation?  Misleading claims that the "black-red" coalition government led by Friedrich Merz is set to introduce "censorship laws" under a "Ministry of Truth" are circulating online. Euroverify fact-checks.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/05/13/fact-check-what-are-the-german-coalitions-plans-to-clamp-down-on-disinformation  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00How does the German coalition plan to tackle disinformation?

00:08Commentators have been warning that the German coalition government led by Friedrich Mertz

00:14is set to introduce censorship laws under a Ministry of Truth in a new threat to free

00:20speech.

00:21We fact-checked these claims.

00:23The coalition agreement between Mertz, CDU, CSU and Centre-left SPD says the deliberate

00:29dissemination of false, factual claims is not covered by freedom of expression.

00:35Critics equate this with a ban on lies, but two legal experts told Iroverify that this

00:42is nothing new and corresponds with the German constitution and the case law of the federal

00:48constitutional court.

00:49Article 5 of the German constitution guarantees the freedom of expression and opinion, but

00:55deliberate disinformation, strictly speaking, is not always protected under freedom of

01:01expression.

01:02These cases, however, are extremely rare.

01:04Whenever there is doubt, you are within the scope of freedom of expression.

01:09Moreover, if you combine factual statements with value statements, evaluations, comments,

01:15you are also within the scope of freedom of expression, even if the factual part might

01:20be wrong.

01:21Many commentators also say the government is establishing a so-called Ministry of Truth

01:25to define truth versus lies.

01:28This claim is unfounded.

01:29Rather, the agreement says that the non-governmental media regulator must be able to take action against

01:36information manipulation.

01:38This refers to the 14 independent state media authorities in Germany, which are organised on

01:44federal state level.

01:45They do currently have the power to hold the media accountable for disseminating false information,

01:51although currently this rarely happens.

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