Wochenblick

Wochenblick
TypeWeekly newspaper
PublisherMedien24 GmbH
Editor-in-chiefBernadette Conrads
Founded1 March 2016; 8 years ago (2016-03-01)
Political alignmentright-wing populism, anti-vax
LanguageGerman
HeadquartersLinz, Austria
Websitewww.wochenblick.at Edit this at Wikidata

Wochenblick (Week-review) was an Austrian newspaper that started as a regional weekly journal in Upper Austria. The online version gained attention in the right-wing community of Austria and Germany. The newspaper was closely aligned with the Austrian Freedom-Party (FPÖ).[1][2][3][4] The content is often as factually incorrect and suffers from a strong right-wing bias.[5][6]

In December 2022, Wochenblick announced that it would cease operations due to financial reasons.[7]

History

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Wochenblick was founded in March 2016. It was published and the manufactured by Medien24 GmbH, based in Brunnenthal. Emotion Media GmbH is a 100% shareholder. The first editor-in-chief was Kurt Guggenbichler,[8] which had worked for 25 years for Oberösterreichischen Nachrichten.[9] Christian Seibert replaced him on May 4, 2018,[10][11] followed by Elsa Mittmannsgruber in 2020, and finally by Berandette Conrads in January 2022. The managing director was Norbert Geroldinger.[8] The newspaper was initially distributed for free in Linz and Wels, both in Upper Austria.[12]

Bias and Controversies

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Wochenblick was often accused of repeating right-wing polulistic messages. In 2017, during the German federal election, Wochenblick ran a story titled "Merkel is hoping for 12 million immigrants". This was determined to be false, and no evidence of then-chancellor Angela Merkel saying this was found.[6]

The newspaper was known for spreading COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic, and was popular with the anti-vax movement.[13][14]

Former editor-in-chief Elsa Mittmannsgruber also appears on YouTube for the right-wing TV Station AUF1.[15]

References

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  1. ^ ingrid.brodnig (2016-08-02). "Pressefreiheitlich: Die Zeitung "Wochenblick" und die FPÖ". www.profil.at (in German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  2. ^ "Boris wollte mich verbrennen". www.falter.at. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  3. ^ "Österreichs rechte Medienwelt". ARTE (in German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. ^ "Wie österreichische Medien in den deutschen Wahlkampf eingreifen". correctiv.org (in German). 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  5. ^ "Rechter "Wochenblick" übernimmt ungeprüft Meldung über Impftoten in Behindertenheim". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  6. ^ a b Steinert, Kerstin (2018-04-26). "Fake News: Die erfolgreichsten Fake News: Wir zeigen Ihnen was hinter den bekanntesten Falschnachrichten steckt". SÜDKURIER Online (in German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  7. ^ Der Wochenblick stellt seine Berichterstattung ein. In: Wochenblick. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Impressum - Wochenblick". Wochenblick.at. Archived from the original on 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  9. ^ Ingrid Brodnig (2016-08-03). "Pressefreiheitlich: Die Zeitung "Wochenblick" und die FPÖ". Profil.at. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  10. ^ "Wochenblick bekommt neuen Chefredakteur". Ots.at. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  11. ^ "Neuer Chefredakteur für rechten "Wochenblick"". DerStandard.at. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  12. ^ ""Wochenblick": Neue Wochenzeitung für Oberösterreich". Derstandard.at. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  13. ^ Pühringer, Birgit (2022-02-17). "Corona-Diktatur: Der Horror geht weiter - Wochenblick.at" (in German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  14. ^ "Rechter "Wochenblick" ist die "Impf-Fake-Schleuder" des Landes". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  15. ^ "AUFrecht AUF1". AUF1.TV. Retrieved 2022-02-17.