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Cover photo of the deleted post on Instagram
"Funk is part of German public broadcasting" - this phrase is always under the videos that the content network of ARD and ZDF plays on YouTube.
This is a hint that teachers in particular often understand as a quality signal, which is why the online content for 14 to 29-year-olds is preferably used in lessons or in presentations.
It is to be hoped that no one used the video "Before Hitler Was Famous" from the Funk account "Der Biograph" to explain Adolf Hitler's path to power.
Because "in the video the historical facts of the First World War are grossly falsified".
The Association of Historians of Germany (VHD) formulated it so strictly in a statement published on Thursday.
"Battle victories" against allies?
Specifically, the illustrated short biography claimed that the military victories of the German Reich over Austria-Hungary had reinforced Hitler's "hatred of Austria". The exact wording can no longer be understood, as Funk has now taken the video off the network. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" quotes the wording as follows: "The many victories in battles against his homeland confirm the 'crazy Austrian', as his comrades call him, even more in his hatred of Austria." The German Reich and Austria-Hungary were in the first place World War allied.
When the first doubts about the video were expressed, the maker of the video admitted a "small mistake" in the YouTube comments two weeks ago, writes the "Süddeutsche". On the Funk website and especially in the video itself, however, the error initially remained uncorrected.
Only after the complaint from the Association of Historians did Funk decided to "take the said video offline, adapt it and upload it again with a corresponding change."
The processing continued on Friday afternoon, they are also working out "how the error could have come about and are in close contact with the format makers," said the Funk press office in response to a request from SPIEGEL.
A note was pinned in the community area of the YouTube channel.
"The correction of the mentioned error - also within the video - should have taken place at an earlier point in time," Funk now concedes.
Inspirational résumés
At Funk, ARD and ZDF work together with a number of internal and external content suppliers. In the case of »Der Biograph«, we are dealing with a YouTube channel in which a large number of short biography videos, mostly between five and ten minutes long, are presented - by rappers, influencers, but also politicians, living and historical personalities; always under the guiding question of what their life was like before they became famous. It has been produced as a radio channel since the end of October 2019, but existed before that.
In an autobiographical clip ("Before the Biograph Belonged to Funk"), the founder of "Der Biograph" reports that his interest in biographies developed during a perplexed phase after graduating from high school.
According to his own statement, he wanted to pass on his interest, "so that young people can be inspired briefly and concisely in seven-minute videos by the biographies, but also by the mistakes and success stories of others."
The search for inspiring résumés gave rise to a part-time job studying psychology - soon financed by Universal Music Germany, which still operates today as a co-producer.
Accordingly, many of the channel's most viewed videos to date are biographies of rappers like Gzuz or Farid Bang.
The editorial approach to creating content is basically the same for every video on the channel, according to Funk.
The format is accepted by the radio center.
The sources used are "carefully checked".
There is no independent historical specialist editorial team for "Der Biograph"; the production and editorial approval of videos on Hitler or Putin as well as on Montana Black and Rezo have "taken over the same makers or editors".
However, "depending on the topic, experts would be called in for specific questions."
In its statement, the VHD emphasized that it was "generally to be welcomed that ARD and ZDF are striving for their educational mandate and developing innovative formats for historical and political education especially for young viewers," but warned that they should be bound by sources and facts. Funk does not contradict this. Faulty research does not meet the quality criteria of the network: "We regret the mistake, which we consider essential". Take the incident as an opportunity to check format-specific acceptance processes and to strengthen control mechanisms.
Perhaps the problem also lies in a somewhat one-sided expertise that specializes in popular culture.
In a video about Angela Merkel published over two years ago it says: "Angela Merkel has been Chancellor for 14 years and has long since left her foster father Helmut Kohl behind".
If that refers to the term of office, "Der Biograph" was also wrong: Angela Merkel left office after 5860 days - ten days less than Kohl was Federal Chancellor.
After all: this mistake is certainly not to be regarded as essential.
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