ZDF children's news “Logo”: Kika changes plan after AfD interview

After criticism of an interview by the ZDF children's news "Logo" with AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the broadcaster is drawing conclusions: the corresponding concept for the upcoming election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is being changed.

Siegmund was interviewed for “Logo” by a state student representative. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the top candidates - Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig for the SPD and AfD top candidate Enrico Schult - should also be interviewed by members of the state student council.

As ZDF announced, Schult was interviewed by a Logo editor on September 8th. However, as planned, the interview with Schwesig was conducted by a representative of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Student Council. It took place before the Siegmund interview was broadcast on August 29th.

In contrast to the “Logo” election reporting on Saxony-Anhalt, the conversations with Schwesig and Schult will no longer be published in their entirety on the Internet. “The statements from the interviews will be arranged in an editorial article,” announced ZDF.

The interviews conducted by student representatives in the run-up to the elections “were intended to make the perspective of young people visible and focus on questions from their lives,” said ZDF at the request of the Catholic News Agency (KNA). “In retrospect, we have to realize that the editorial concept chosen was not appropriate.” Therefore the concept was changed.

After the Siegmund interview was broadcast, ZDF received numerous program complaints. On Monday there was a telephone switch with representatives of the ZDF television council. The Campact initiative also launched a petition entitled “No stage for right-wing extremists at Logo”, which has so far been signed by more than 300,000 people.

“The editorial team would like to thank the viewers for their important, detailed and sometimes very personal feedback,” said ZDF. The ZDF television council should now decide on the official program complaints.

DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster said of the decision: “Dass,logo!” Before the election in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund ranted for half an hour and rightly caused a lot of dissatisfaction. It’s good that this won’t happen again in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.” The AfD's perfidious media strategy requires journalistic professionals. “This is indispensable, especially for younger viewers.” (kna, taz)