GERMANY, Deutsche Welle 18th May 2020 Coronavirus victim: German far-right AfD in crisis The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is dipping in the polls after dithering over the coronavirus lockdown. Now it has thrown out one of its most prominent extremists. Is it heading for a crash? Germany’s most successful-ever post-war far-right party is […]
From 24th to 26th March I was invited to be guest lecturer at Universitat Ramon Llull, specialized in Social work in Barcelona. The funding came from EU Erasmus mobility fund for lecturers in exchange program with Catholic-University Eichstätt. There I am teaching regularly as a guest lecturer as well. The topic of my lecture was “Social […]
Fake news. Why the topic is highly relevant, not only for Netflix users? Great event on 12 September in Kino Artis in Tallinn with the film maker Ilmar Raag and the journalist Erkki Bahovski. Thank you very much, also to Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Pro Patria Institute and Enriko Lill for the Photos
In May 2019 I have published a brochure in Estonian on fake news. Partners have been the Estonian Pro Patria Institute and the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung. Fake news can be created by anybody. You just have to create “news” and need the money to spread it via social media channels. This new method of social interaction […]
Debate on fake news in European Parliament on the 6th March In political terms, lying is so easy compared to other ways of gaining power. There is a dramatic political change for political engagement. It opens the floor for two interpretations. First, the optimistic one: Events such as the Brexit shock and the migration challenge […]
Deutsche Welle , 4/3/2019 EUROPE Far-right ‘stoking fears’ in Estonia’s parliamentary election The far-right EKRE received nearly 18 percent of the vote in Estonia’s recent parliamentary election. Political scientist Florian Hartleb talks to DW about the party’s origins, and what its success means for Europe. DW: The center-right opposition Reform Party won Sunday’s election in Estonia. […]
On 28th November – Live in Chinese TV “The Point” on the Chinese-German (European)-relations in the light of the upcoming G-20-summit @ TV studio Tallinn
Is Germany’s media to blame for the inexorable rise of the AfD? Ben Knight Wed 14 Nov 2018 AfD politician Björn Höcke, left, with Pegida founder Lutz Bachmann, second from right, in a commemoration march in Chemnitz in September. Photograph: Jens Meyer/AP Political journalists in Berlin often do a thing called Hintergrundgespräch. This “background conversation” […]
BERLIN POLICY JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 SHARE BEN KNIGHT , OCTOBER 30, 2018 The far-right AfD has gained ever more popularity since its breakthrough in 2017. The party’s rise has been aided by German media and politics, and its rise is set to continue. Political journalists in Berlin often do a thing called a Hintergrundgespräch. This “background conversation,” as […]
On 15th January live in Chinese TV “The point” (CCTV-news, China Global TV Network) from TV studio in Tallinn. Topic: About the possible new German government and the problems with the grand coalition.