Axel Springer SE - Wikipedia
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Thus, when you’re tempted to share a Politico article, please look instead for an article from a different source.

(Also, if you’re wondering, know that Axel Springer, the mass media company, has nothing to do with Springer, the science publisher (the one with the chess knight logo; it’s named after Julius Springer; it deserves criticism of its own, but a different kind.)

  • Jordan117@lemmy.worldEnglish
    25·
    2 days ago

    I’ve seen this criticism a lot, but as somebody who has Politico in their daily news rotation I just don’t see it myself. It definitely has a voice and perspective – insider-y, pro-Western, well connected to internal party drama – but I’ve never really noticed a right-wing editorial bias or agenda. It frequently features stories critical of Trump and Republicans, and doesn’t seem to engage in unreasonable hit pieces on left-wing figures. Worst you can say is they sometimes have sections sponsored by corporations, but these are clearly labeled and not especially shill-y.

    Are there particular headlines or stories that people think are examples of the kind of bias that should make people avoid reading them? Axios, for example, feels like a much bigger offender.

      • Jordan117@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        16 hours ago

        How is interviewing EU officials to game out a plausible strategy by which Trump might annex Greenland right-wing propaganda? It’s not arguing that it’s a good thing, or justified. They published many more stories talking about how the Greenland thing was a disaster for American soft power.

        • Zombie@feddit.uk
          1·
          16 hours ago

          I have highlighted the relevant parts. I make and never made no comment on that specific article or story but on the overall credibility of the newspaper as a whole.

          The Daily Mail is one of the biggest piece of shit right wing rags to have ever existed, is outright banned by Wikipedia as a source and supported the literal 20th century German Nazi party and still occasionally manages to make credible articles. The occasional good article doesn’t make up for the overall messaging however. The same applies to Politico.

          Politico (stylized in all caps), known originally as The Politico, is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007.[4]

          In 2021, Politico was reportedly acquired for over $1 billion by Axel Springer SE, a German news publisher and media company.[6] Axel Springer SE’s CEO Mathias Dopfner said that Politico employees would be required to adhere to the company’s principles of support for Israel’s right to exist, support for a United Europe and a free-market economy.[7]

          In 2024, Politico was handed leaked confidential materials from the Donald Trump presidential campaign. Politico confirmed that the documents were authentic but refused to report on their contents. The Associated Press wrote that the decision by Politico to not report on the Trump campaign leaks stands “in marked contrast” to Politico’s extensive reporting on the leaked email communications of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager, John Podesta.[110]

          An investigation by The Intercept, The Nation, and DeSmog found that Politico is one of the leading media outlets that publishes advertising for the fossil fuel industry while failing to adequately distinguish between independent journalism and native advertising.[111] Journalists who cover climate change for Politico are concerned that conflicts of interest with the companies and industries that cause climate change, obstruct action, and engage in greenwashing through sponsored content will reduce the credibility of their reporting on climate change and cause readers to be misinformed.[111]

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico

          Axel Springer SE (German: [ˈaksl̩ ˈʃpʁɪŋɐ ɛsˈeː]) is a European multinational mass and online media company, based in Berlin, Germany.

          with numerous multimedia news brands, such as Bild, Die Welt, Fakt, and the US political news site Politico, which Axel Springer acquired in 2021.[5]

          The company generated total revenues of about €3.93 billion and an EBITDA increase of 12.8% in the first half of 2023.[6][7] Following US private-equity firm KKR’s majority-stake acquisition in 2020, Axel Springer’s revenues have increased by a total of approximately €1 billion.[8][9][10] The company, including its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and licenses, operates in more than 40 countries.

          In the United States, Axel Springer is ranked among the top four digital publishers, alongside USA Today, News Corp, and The New York Times.[6]

          Gudrun Kruip, a scholar associated with the Stiftung Bundespräsident-Theodor-Heuss-Haus, has claimed that Axel Springer SE, along with its subsidiaries, exhibits a pro-American stance, often omitting criticism of US foreign policy.[60] This observation is then backed by allegations made by two former CIA officers in an interview with The Nation, claiming that Axel Springer received $7 million from the CIA.[61] The purpose of this funding, they allege, was to influence the publisher to align its editorial content with American geopolitical interests.[61] Although no conclusive evidence has come to light, Springer’s admission in his autobiography regarding the financial challenges faced at the outset of his publishing venture, suggesting the necessity of external funding for the company’s rapid growth led Kruip to believe that the allegations of CIA financial support are credible.[60] As of 2001, the Axel Springer SE names "solidarity with the libertarian values of the United States of America" as one of its core principles on its website.[62] This explicit stance has led to critiques from scholars and independent observers regarding the company’s perceived alignment with American interests.[60][63][64][65][66] Furthermore, an article in Foreign Policy has critiqued Axel Springer SE for a history of compromising journalistic ethics to support right-wing causes, implying a longstanding pattern of bias in its publications.[67]

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer_SE