As of: March 6, 2024, 7:11 p.m
By: Natascha Berger
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The children's program "logo!" deals with the controversial debate about a Taurus delivery to Ukraine with talking weapons.
Now ZDF speaks out.
Munich – How Germany can best support Ukraine in the war with Russia has been part of a heated public debate for weeks.
Opinions are particularly divided when it comes to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has so far categorically rejected a delivery.
Now the discussion about the availability of the Taurus has also reached children's television.
A satirical contribution from “logo!”,
ZDF
’s children’s news program , is now causing a lot of criticism online.
The public broadcaster is accused of, among other things, war propaganda.
ZDF video about Taurus delivery to Ukraine attracts criticism through talking weapons
The approximately one-minute clip under the title “No Taurus for Ukraine” was shared on the “logo!” social media channels.
The video comes from “un.logo!”, a humorous TikTok format that, in contrast to “logo!”, is intended to be aimed at young people.
The protagonists in the video: the German Taurus, the French SCALP missile and the British Storm Shadow cruise missile.
The Polish Leopard 2 main battle tank is also there.
The weapons can talk and have faces.
“We should give Olaf Scholz a real run for his money with cruise missiles.
Because he refuses to deliver me to Ukraine!” Taurus begins the conversation.
As the ZDF
clip continues,
the cruise missiles discuss in their respective accents the need for delivery, which Ukraine is also in favor of.
SCALP and Storm Shadow say Taurus can be done without.
“The Ukrainians are already getting me,” “And me,” you hear the guns say.
ZDF children's program explains in “No Taurus for Ukraine”: Scholz is afraid of “crass reach”
SCALP wants to know in a French accent whether Taurus is not allowed to go to war in Ukraine because Scholz is “again hesitating and hesitating.”
After the British Storm Shadow explains that the “German technical term for it” is “scrupulous,” Taurus explains: “Because I have such a great range, he is afraid that I will overshoot the target and hit Russia.”
The British and French cruise missiles only reply: “And what has Russia been doing for two years?”
This ends the clip.
After the Ukraine clip, critics accuse ZDF of war propaganda
The contribution from the ZDF
children's program “logo!”
was heavily criticized online .
In the future, there will no longer be any room for “this primitive war propaganda” at the breakfast table with his children, writes a father on Instagram.
“Oh how sweet, a deadly arsenal of weapons that can talk,” writes another user ironically.
“These are weapons that don’t have a cute conversation in real life, but instead destroy countless lives, destroy families and cause incredible suffering.
“I’m horrified,” can also be read in the Instagram comments column.
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Many voices also criticize the fact that the video is an offer from
ZDF
- as is well known, public broadcasting in Germany, which is mainly financed through the broadcasting fee (GEZ).
Almost a week after the clip was published, more than 2,200 people have already left a comment on Instagram.
Most of them are critical in nature.
Talking weapons in children's programs: This is how ZDF comments on the “No Taurus for Ukraine” criticism
In the meantime, ZDF
has
commented on the feedback from viewers: “We can understand that some of you have concerns about the depiction of weapons in our video and we take this seriously.” The editorial team also discussed the ways in which the video would be shown.
“un.logo!
“However, it is a comedy format that deliberately exaggerates things and is recognizable as such,” the statement on Instagram continues.
The format stands out clearly from other content.
In a comment on YouTube,
ZDF
also makes it clear that the format is not aimed at children, but at young people aged 13 and over.
Whether the Taurus air-to-ground cruise missile should be delivered to Ukraine is also being discussed in the ZDF children's program.
© IMAGO/Sven Eckelkamp
Personification of weapons and satire for children: This is what ZDF says
FR.de
from
IPPEN.MEDIA
also
asked
ZDF
for a statement.
We explicitly asked why the “cute” personification of cruise missiles, according to critics, was chosen.
ZDF
responded: “With the help of the comic-like appearance that is widespread on TikTok, a highly topical topic for young people is being discussed here.”
When asked to what extent children can recognize the satirical value of the video among the other logo! posts on Instagram,
ZDF
answered vaguely.
The format “un.logo!” was designed for TikTok and “deals with current events from a humorous and satirical perspective”.
The caption of the article “describes the underlying event in a informative way”.
This creates a starting point for the content-related debate, says the television station.
For the younger target group, i.e. children between the ages of 8 and 12, “logo!” also reported, according to the ZDF press office, “with an explanatory video about Taurus in a targeted manner.”
While experts and defense politicians from the traffic light coalition are in favor of delivering the Taurus, Olaf Scholz continues to resist.
A large part of the German population supports the Chancellor's position, a survey has shown.
Most recently, the German Bundeswehr's wiretapping scandal increased the pressure on Scholz, partly because Inspector General Gerhartz criticized the Chancellor's Taurus actions in the published recording.