Banning independent media outlets and journalists directly would not work: it would just give the game away. Instead, softer, more indirect ways to get rid of alternative and independent media have been devised.
- In Germany, a draft bill has been put on the table that will, if all 16 federal states pass it, require big tech platforms to manipulate the algorithms in such a way that at least 20% of algorithmic recommendations for content must come from media outlets approved by German authorities.
The point, we are told, is "diversity" – because nothing quite screams "diversity" like state-approved media.
"[P]rivate outlets would have to apply to Germany's 14 regional media authorities, which decide who receives it," according to the news website Brussels Signal.
- Germany is reportedly planning to empower regional media authorities to conduct "indiscriminate mass surveillance" of online media, podcasts, and videos using tools such as AI, even when no complaint has been lodged.
"This would effectively elevate one authority to a media control body -- a move that would open the floodgates to political censorship." — Pauline Voss, Nius.de, September 29, 2026.
