Obituary for Baumgartner: ORF in criticism - Pietary low point!

Obituary for Baumgartner: ORF in criticism - Pietary low point!

Österreich - Felix Baumgartner, the well -known extreme athlete, passed away what triggered a wave of grief and criticism. The ORF published an obituary that triggered massive controversy. FPÖ General Secretary Christian Hafenecker expressed himself extremely critically about this reporting and described it as the "pietary low point of red-white-red media threat" and criticized political one-sidedness.

Hafenecker, who also expressed his sympathy for Baumgartner's family, friends and companions, accused the ORF not to focus on the sporting achievements of the extreme athlete, but rather to address his political views. This would not only reduce Baumgartner's prestige, but also happened to him and his family a "moral execution", he said. The reporting is pious and tasteless, which reflects the brutalization in the media.

public reactions and claims

The reactions to Baumgartner's death were not only strong in political space. Personalities like Elon Musk also paid tribute to X (formerly Twitter) by writing "R.I.P Brave Soul". In social networks, however, Baumgartner was also mocked by the left-wing activists and Antifa accounts, which Hafenecker sees as a further evidence for brutalization in society.

In the context of this debate, Hafenecker demands far -reaching consequences for the ORF. He calls for an urgent entideologization and depoliticization of the transmitter as well as the abolition of the compulsory contribution. This is necessary to restore balanced reporting that respects Baumgartner's sporting success and his personal opinion.

media threat and public assessment

The controversy relating to the ORF reporting are not isolated. A study by the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, which was co-financed by the Mercator Foundation, shows that political one-sidedness in public service broadcasting is a widespread problem. Analyzes of reporting, which included almost 10,000 message posts, show that liberal perspectives predominate in many public law formats and the presentation of conservative topics is often neglected.

The study also highlights that in the past few months a tendency has been observed to increasingly display the negative representations of political actors both left and right of the middle. As a result, dealing with critical topics could reduce trust in established parties, as the study leaders criticize. Such findings contribute to the discussion of how important a balanced and diverse media reporting is in today's society, and ask the question of the current orientation of the ORF.

More information about the reports and the reactions can be found here: Exxpress , FPÖ , and Foundation Mercator