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Bild

Bild is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. It is the best-selling European newspaper and has the sixteenth-largest circulation worldwide. Bild's reporting on migrant-related news and the events in Gaza and its relationship with Axel Springer make it a target for the boycott.

Shadow of the Beast: Axel Springer

As part of the Axel Springer portfolio and a subsidiary, Bild and all its publications must follow the Axel Springer Pledge. This pledge includes mandatory and enforced "values" in their reporting and for all their employees, such as supporting the state of Israel, endorsing capitalism and free markets, and strengthening relations with the United States.

Racism, Islamophobia, and Apartheid

Like all subsidiaries of Axel Springer, Bild must adhere to the company's editorial pledge. This pledge often translates to unconditional support for the state of Israel and its actions. However, this mandated support frequently fuels sensationalism rooted in xenophobia, Islamophobia, and sometimes outright racism, particularly when discussing opposition to Israel or the Palestinian diaspora in Germany.

Sensationalism and Bias in Headlines

In just one week of reporting, Bild's bias is evident through its headlines and the topics it chooses to highlight when discussing Palestinians. On May 28, 2024, Bild published an article titled“Arafat Abou-Chaker at the Israel-Hater Demonstration,” with the subtitle, “Crazy Holocaust Comparison.” The article refers to people protesting the Israeli actions in Gaza as “Israel haters,” despite similar protests occurring in Tel Aviv. This labeling is a common tactic in Bild's reporting.

Simplifying Protests and Demonizing Activists

Bild systematically simplifies the protests and activism of those who oppose Israeli policies, often labeling them as "Israel haters" to diminish their demands and make their activism seem shallow. For example, they showcased an image from a protest where a poster stated, “No genocide justifies another genocide.” Bild claimed this denied the existence of Israel, despite the poster not making any such statement.

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On May 27, 2024, Bild published an article titled,

'Caliphate Now!' Scandalous Slogan at Hate Demo Against Israel

Despite numerous videos and live streams from the protest, no evidence of this slogan was presented in the article. This type of sensational headline aims to stoke fear among the German public about Middle Eastern, and Muslim individuals.

Bias for Israel

On May 26 and 22, 2024, Bild published an article about a debunked Israeli state propaganda video featuring captured IDF female soldiers. The article propagated a false translation of the video to make it sound “rapey,” taking Israeli government statements as facts despite multiple debunkings in international media. Bild, similar to its parent company, attempts to co-opt the women's rights movement to fit their narrative while ignoring the actions of the IDF against Palestinian women.

Other sensational titles from Bild include: “It is Wrong to Recognize Palestine as a State Now” and “Hatred of Israel Erupts in Berlin.” These titles reflect a persistent bias that frames any support for Palestinian statehood or criticism of Israel as extreme or hateful.

A Snapshot of a Larger Pattern

This examination represents just a snapshot of Bild's reporting tendencies. Many more examples, often even more extreme, illustrate Bild's consistent pattern of biased and sensationalist coverage. These instances are part of a broader approach that distorts the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict and fuels divisive sentiments among its readership.

Sexism

The Case of Reichelt

In 2021, an investigation was conducted into the editor of Bild, Julian Reichelt, following reports by Der Spiegel that he had created a hostile work environment for women. The allegations included claims that he invited female trainees to dinner via Instagram, quickly promoted them, and then abruptly demoted them. Axel Springer, Bild's parent company, hired a law firm to look into these claims, as well as accusations of power abuse and drug use at work. Axel Springer's internal investigation claimed it found no evidence of sexual harassment or coercion. Reichelt admitted to making "mistakes" and apologized. After only a 12-day leave, he returned to his role.

The Investigation

The investigation included interviews with 31 different people regarding these allegations, with the first complaints going as early as 2019 and accounts going back as early as 2016. Some of these accusations included an employee who claimed that she had sex with Rechelt out of fear of losing her job. The young woman felt pressured into an unwanted sexual relationship. The junior employee alleges she was given a high-profile job she felt unqualified for and was continued to be pressured for meetings in hotels near Axel Springer's headquarters. She later sought treatment for depression. She told investigators:

That's how it always goes at Bild. Those who sleep with the boss get a better job.

In another account, an ex-girlfriend of Reichelt alleged he had faked divorce papers to convince her he was no longer married. She stated that Reichelt had often intimidated her and that she feared he might hurt her. According to another senior editor at Bild:

Julian’s behaviour towards young women was an open secret internally

Despite all of those accounts, Reichelt was only suspended for 12 days and then reinstated, Axel Springer announcing their decision:

no grounds to remove him [as the investigators] did not discover any evidence whatsoever of sexual harassment or coercion

Hiding The Facts

Axel Springer selectively disclosed the investigation findings to employees and the public. Their attitude was to handle the allegations as a "mistake" because they claimed that Reichelt’s conduct did not meet the strict definition of harassment under German law. Nor did the hotel room sex constitute coercion, as this is defined as exploiting “a situation in which the victim is threatened with serious harm” to perpetrate unwanted sexual acts.

In one of their statements on the matter, Axel Springer used words like "relationships" and "consensual" to describe what Reichelt did at Bild, which begs the question, as put by a former Bild employee:

“What does a consensual relationship look like in this power imbalance?”

Freshfields, the company that investigated Axel Springer, said future business with Axel Springer had no bearing on its handling of the Reichelt investigation. It told the FT:

[The investigation was conducted] in line with the highest professional and ethical standards, including, without limitation, a presumption of innocence, and at all times in full compliance with the firm’s confidentiality obligations

Döpfner and Axel Springer's Role

Axel Springer CEO Döpfner shared details of the investigation with Reichelt. Reichelt even disclosed to the German newspaper Die Zeit that Döpfner had read the entire investigation report to him, allowing Reichelt to identify many of the witnesses. The ex-girlfriend conveyed this information to the Financial Times through her lawyer.

I was promised I could trust these men [..] I feel like they put me in danger in order to defend Julian — and themselves.

Two days after Reichelt's dismissal, Döpfner recorded a video for his staff that showed no sympathy for the victims.

Shortly after the initial investigation, Döpfner initiated a counter-investigation to uncover what he believed to be a "conspiracy" to accuse Reichelt falsely. In a conversation with senior employees, Döpfner described the allegations as part of a "blind hate agenda."

Döpfner and his confidants hired an external lawyer and created a list of people to be investigated. As he called for action against the authors of the alleged conspiracy, Döpfner said:

We are not the bad guys who go into the private mistakes of innocent intellectuals. We are the last bastions of independence and government criticism and that is why we are being punished by the leftist bubble, which pursues its views with great intolerance.

Döpfner continued

We should completely move this away from sexism . . . It had nothing to do with MeToo. [...] If we are attacked again . . . we still cannot directly reveal the accusers, but it’s acceptable to us that these names get out.

Building on the conspiracy narrative, Axel Springer claimed it had "clear indications" that third parties were attempting to oust the editor and harm the company, including a list of individuals named by Julian Reichelt.

The fact these Springer executives see this as a political conspiracy, driven by men, is the whole problem.

said one woman who complained about Reichelt.

Later, in October 2021, Axel Springer announced that Reichelt had been relieved. The company said that further information regarding the editor’s behavior had come to light after recent revelations.

The board has learned that even after the end of the compliance procedure in spring 2021, Julian Reichelt continued not clearly separate private and professional affairs and had told the board untruths about this.

Since Reichelt’s removal, many of the women involved feel they have not yet won their struggle. They argue that the company has not fully apologized for what happened or acknowledged its own role in the situation.

The Case of Diekmann

In 2016, Kai Diekmann, the editor in chief for the Bild from 2001 untill 2015 has been accused of sexual assault by a female employee. He allegedly harassed the woman while she was swimming.

German prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into a sexual harassment complaint against him. However, it was closed in 2018 due to lack of evidence.

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