Anti-German policy or a newspaper representing German interests? About the German Publisher and publications in the "Fakt" tabloid

Maren Röger

The tabloid "Fakt" which, shortly after its introduction into the Polish press market in October 2003, became the best selling newspaper, has been keenly observed by both Polish and German society. While some Poles fear that the paper is serving German interests, some Germans are scandalized at "Fakt's" anti-German coverage. The paper examines how the Polish tabloid "Fakt" reports about Germany, starting from the first edition for two years on. The main result of the empirical analysis is, quite surprisingly in the context of the special bilateral relationship, that the majority of the articles in "Fakt" about Germany have to be categorised as neutral.

KEYWORDS

Media, press, tabloid, "Fakt", Axel Springer Polska, "German" media ownership, influence of ownership, German-Polish (media) relations