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Symbolic picture »Frankfurter Rundschau«
Photo: Christoph Schmidt / picture alliance / dpa
An advertisement by the AfD, in which it opposes a general obligation to vaccinate, continues to cause a stir in the "Frankfurter Rundschau" ("FR").
The advertisement was published on Wednesday in the left-liberal newspaper with two distancings.
Below the ad, a note from the publisher pointed out that “the basic right to freedom of expression” is respected in advertisements, provided the ads do not violate “applicable law or the principles of the publisher”.
In this sense, the publication of the AfD ad is “part of the applicable freedom of expression”.
"All readers are entitled to a critical evaluation of the content," the note concluded.
In the editorial part of the same issue there was also a note »On our own behalf«: »The editors distance themselves from the adjacent advertisement.
The editorial and advertising departments of FR work strictly separately from each other.«
Apparently, this distancing was not enough for many readers of »FR«, and the criticism from the editorial staff is said to have not been broken.
On Friday, "FR" managing director Max Rempel reacted in his own newspaper.
On page 5 he wrote to the readers that the ad had caused great irritation.
»That is understandable, because the Frankfurter Rundschau stands for a clear left-liberal stance and opposes any form of discrimination and racism«.
Accordingly, one reports critically about the AfD.
“Publishing the ad was a mistake,” says Rempel.
'I apologize for that.
I have decided that there will be no more AfD ads in the Frankfurter Rundschau in the future."
hpi