The Media Association of the Free Press has issued an urgent appeal to politicians: 350 publishers are demanding an emergency program to secure press freedom. The publishers see democracy as threatened by the market power of digital monopolists and AI corporations.
“Digital monopolists and AI corporations are hollowing out our democracy. Without independent journalism, it is lost,” the appeal states. The publishers warn of a “trust meltdown”: public trust in the state and its institutions has hit a historic low.
Market Power of Tech Giants
The cause is the massive transformation of the media landscape. Social networks and AI platforms are increasingly displacing quality-assured journalism. Platform algorithms reward outrage and polarization, not objectivity. At the same time, the economic foundation of publishers is being destroyed by a digital oligopoly: Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon alone captured more than half of the German advertising market in 2025 – around 30.9 billion euros.
The consequences are alarming: according to studies by the state media authorities, 87 percent of people fear social division due to disinformation, and 83 percent fear radicalization of debates. A study by the Vodafone Institute shows that 42 percent of Germans see democracy as endangered by fake news on social media.
Appeal to Politicians
The publishers are demanding a package of measures, including fair compensation from platforms for journalistic content and effective regulation of AI models that use copyrighted material.
The appeal comes at a time when trust in democratic institutions continues to wane. According to an INSA survey, 84 percent of Germans are seriously worried about the country’s future. More than a fifth of the population is receptive to authoritarian ideas, according to the Germany Monitor from February 2026.
Source: www.faz.net
