Trump has probably done more than anyone recently to "raise awareness" about fake news (not that anybody can stop it, though).
Here is an example of media mass manipulation:
A province in northern Germany (between Hannover & Berlin) just had elections, where the _Alternative für Deutschland_ Party won a parliamentary majority. There is not a single news outlet that is not sounding the 5-bell alarm about this _dangerous_ surge of *neo-Naziism*.
However, a calmer view could be called for, as one (& only one!) commentator notes:
By --John Gizzi, political columnist
It is important to note that the AfD Party is not "far right" — as the international press dismissively labels it.
Such labels have been a clever way for the left-wing press, which itself has become increasingly radical (think: claims there are more than biological sexes), to redefine the center in its favor.
The AfD is clearly conservative & rightist, but also populist & nationalist. That does not make them fascist.
Founded in 2013 primarily as a sceptical response to the eurozone crisis, the AfD shifted toward nationalism, immigration, & cultural issues during the 2015 refugee crisis. All of these are reasonable political positions to hold.
Europe of 10 years ago had 24% of the world's GDP. Today, it has just 16%. This is an economic catastrophe brought about by left-wing socialism that embraced climate change & "net zero" policies that destroyed economic growth.
Germany has particularly suffered. Notably, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel accelerated Germany's nuclear phaseout after the Fukushima disaster.
The AfD's policy positions are conservative &, again, reasonable. Here is a rundown of its key positions:
Immigration & asylum are probably the Party's defining issues. Its 2025 federal platform calls for permanent border controls, turning away unauthorized entrants, processing asylum applications outside Germany, & what it calls the "remigration" of people without a legal right to remain. It also advocates German withdrawal from the U.N. migration & refugee compacts.
On the EU, the AfD wants a fundamental rollback of European integration. Its 2025 program calls for replacing today's increasingly integrated EU with a looser association of sovereign nations & an economic community.
It opposes the EU Green Deal, fiscal transfers, & a digital euro. The Party's underlying principle is that substantially more authority should return from Brussels to national governments.
On Russia & Ukraine, it diverges sharply from Germany's mainstream Parties. The AfD calls for ending economic sanctions against Russia, restoring normal trade, & repairing the Nord Stream pipelines. Its federal manifesto says Ukraine should remain outside both NATO & the EU as a neutral state.
The AfD wants Germany to return to nuclear power, expand or retain coal generation, eliminate the CO2 levy, & end renewable-energy subsidies. It portrays Germany's energy transition & EU climate regulation as threats to industrial competitiveness & household living standards.
Economically, the Party mixes market-oriented policies with economic nationalism. It favors lower taxes, deregulation, simplification of the tax system, abolition of the solidarity surcharge, & policies designed to strengthen small & medium-sized German businesses. Its economic message increasingly links taxation, energy prices, EU regulation, & immigration to the broader claim that established governments have undermined German prosperity.
On social & family policy, the AfD favors a more traditional conception of family. Its federal program advocates family income splitting for taxation, allowances for parents caring for young children, & other financial incentives intended to increase Germany's birth rate.
On crime & policing, it calls for more police personnel & equipment, tougher penalties & investigative powers against terrorism, extremism, gangs, & organized crime, & greater confiscation of criminal assets. These positions are closely integrated with its immigration message.
On media & political institutions, the Party advocates a major overhaul of Germany's public broadcasting system, arguing that it should focus on information & culture.
It also has a longstanding commitment to more Swiss-style direct democracy & national referendums.
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